Kirill Redemption
by Jenna Cassie Herdz
Summary: When Bourne leaves Kirill in the tunnel, barely alive, the Russian assassin knows he's in trouble from his ever present enemies. Expecting the worst is his job, but what happens when he meets an innocent American girl will throw him for a loop.
1. New Partner

**A/N:** welcome to my first Bourne fanfic! i'm not so good with the government conspiracy theories and all that, though i do love the intrigue and wonderfulness that is Bourne, so this will be a pretty simple romance, chase fic. i don't own anything Bourne, and i've only seen the movies, but i so wanna read the books. if there are any inconsistencies, i'm so sorry. enjoy!

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_**Chapter 1: New Partner**_

Kirill awoke to the sound of sirens. His head pounded, his whole body was sore and he swore he couldn't feel his limbs. Something was broken, he knew it. The sound of the distant sirens coming closer spurred him into action. Struggling severely, he moved his hands to shove himself up on the steering wheel, his head spinning even with slow, steady movements.

His adrenaline kicked in when he heard shouting and as he ignored his pain, he tried to shove the door open without any luck. It was jammed. He unlatched his belt and maneuvered himself out of the broken window of the crashed car, but his foot caught on his belt coming out, making him hop and wince in pain at the action and he toppled to the ground with a groan when he landed on his back.

The sirens getting closer, his adrenaline pumped a little more into his system, allowing him to ignore any pain he felt as he sprung to his feet and stepped toward the car to reach into the window to pull the door open. Once it was open he leaned in, snatched his gun from the floor of the car and looked around, limping away from the car as he shoved the gun into his jacket pocket.

He hurried out of the tunnel, checking over his shoulder to make sure no was following him, including the man he'd been sent to kill…the man who let _him_ live. He soon found himself on the streets of Moscow, outside the tunnel and almost being run over by cars before he finally limped onto the sidewalk. Police cars whizzed past him as he hid his face, still limping, the cold getting to him, freezing his blood as it flowed from his wounds. The hairs on the back of his neck suddenly stood straight up and he knew he was being followed, but he didn't look around. He was in no position to fight.

"Sir?"

He shot his gaze ahead as he stopped, his eyes wide as he looked up at the figure in front of him. Her emerald eyes were as wide as his and glazed with concern and confusion. Her brown, elbow length hair was pulled into a ponytail under a warm hat as she was bundled in sweaters, a scarf and gloves.

"Are you ok?" she breathed in an American accent. "You look terrible. Do you need help?"

"No," he groaned, trying to limp past her and lied, "It looks worse than it is."

"You sure---?"

"I'm fi…" He trailed off as he turned once he past her, his vision going black as he fell to the ground, unconscious.

* * *

Kirill woke up again, still sore, his head still splitting, but this time lying on hias back and feeling warm instead of cold. He gave a frown of wonder as he sat himself up, slowly. Wincing, he glanced around quickly, noticing he was lying on a couch and taking note of the exits before looking down at himself. He was under a blanket wearing only his pants, with bandages over his cuts, the blood that had been frozen to his skin cleaned away.

He looked to the door of the small apartment when he heard keys jingling on the other side. He instantly began looking for his jacket which should have still held his gun. He couldn't find his jacket and when the door opened, he froze in his spot, ready for anything…except for what actually came through the door.

"Oh, you're awake!" the girl smiled, brightly as she closed the door, a brown bag of groceries in her arms. She walked toward the kitchen as Kirill watched her with wide, green-hazel eyes. "I washed your clothes. They were full of blood and dirt. You looked like you were in a fight or something."

He only stared at her as she began unloading the bag and putting things away. She frowned at him when he didn't reply and leaned on the counter to frown at him.

"You're---" he choked and cleared his throat as she smirked and he tried again, "You're…wearing my jacket."

She stood tall with a smile and walked into his view to turn from side to side, grinning, "I hope you don't mind. It looked so warm, and it's so cold out there. I had to clean it first, though." She stepped to the side of the couch at Kirill's feet and bent down for something as he sat, unmoving. "Your shirts are right here. I thought of washing your pants, but I didn't take the liberty." She set his shirt and sweater on the arm of the couch as she smirked, suggestively, "A boy's gotta have his secrets, right?"

She turned back to the kitchen to continue unloading her bag.

"Y-You didn't happen to find anything in the pockets, did you?" he wondered, his mind instantly going to the gun.

Her back turned to him, he didn't see the smirk that crept to her lips before she turned to lean on the counter again, a hand slipping into one of the pockets. He noticed the action and straightened, painfully, ready to defend himself, even against a woman. The brunette pulled out the gun he'd been carrying and held it up for him to see before setting it on the counter.

"You mean _this_?" she smirked, leaving the gun on the counter as he still stared at her in shock. "Don't look so surprised. I'm no stranger to firearms." She lifted the gun again and showed him the butt of the thing. "I pulled out the clip. Figured I'd keep it just for show in case I got into trouble."

"Give it to me," he ordered, holding out a hand, and ignoring the pain that shot through his arm. "And gave me the clip as well."

The girl frowned and gave a small pout as she set the gun down again and resumed putting things away. Kirill raised a brow at her as he lowered his hand and gritted his teeth at the pain as he tried to move to get up.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," she warned, not looking at him. "Your left ankle is sprained, and you've got a couple broken ribs on your right side. You're gonna have some pain if you move."

"Give me my gun," he demanded, not moving. The girl gave an eye-roll as she walked back to the couch after emptying the bag and picked up his shirt and sweater to hand them to him as he stared hard at her, still silently demanding she give him his gun.

"My name is Lily, by the way," she said as he painfully took his clothes. "Lily Kendall. What's your name?"

He glanced up at her, unfolding his clothes in his lap and examining them before muttering, "Kirill."

"No last name?" she smirked, watching him slowly move to sit forward on the couch.

He remained silent as he tried to pull on the shirt, but he was struggling, grunting and groaning at the pain in his side. Lily sat next to his and tried to help him but he yanked out of her reach, making him groan in pain again at the sudden movement.

"That's what you get for being stubborn," she smirked and he glared at her as she tried again to help him.

This time he didn't move as she pulled the shirt over his head and helped get his right arm through the sleeve with as little pain as possible while he still glared at her through a pained shadow over his face.

"Your eyes are boring a hole in my skull," she muttered, pulling his shirt down over his stomach, her fingertips accidentally brushing over his stomach and making him straighten. She caught the movement and frowned at him, asking, "You ok?"

He looked down at her, suddenly noticing the delicate freckles sprinkled across her cheeks below her emerald orbs, but he instantly glared at her again as he muttered, "Fine."

"Fine," Lily mocked a low, Russian tone before asking through a smile, "Are you thirsty? Hungry?"

"No," he muttered, and winced when he tried to pull on his sweater as she stood.

"Let me rephrase," she began, sauntering toward the kitchen. "How about I make you a sandwich and give you a pain killer with water?"

"I said no," Kirill shot back through gritted teeth as he slowly, painfully, pulled on the right sleeve of his sweater as Lily gave a sigh and an eye-roll from the kitchen. He gave a sigh of his own after pulling on his sweater and leaned back on the couch, closing his eyes and letting his head lull back as he tried to will away his migraine.

"Hey."

He opened his eyes and lifted his head to see Lily in front of him, two pills in the palm of one hand as she held them out for him to see, a bottle of water in the other. He looked at her for a moment, evaluating her. Why was this girl helping him? Could she be trusted? What if those pills were some sort of drug that would knock him out or even kill him? The question that came to mind next, he voiced.

"Who do you work for?"

Lily gave a small frown, still holding the pills toward him. She could tell by his glare and tone that it wasn't a question, it was a demand.

"I'm a student here," she replied honestly, though she didn't see the relevance of it. "I don't really have a job yet. I just got here."

Kirill couldn't help but frown at her response, but he could tell she was telling the truth and apparently didn't understand the question.

"Look, you're kinda strange, but seeing as you collapsed in front of me in the street, I couldn't just leave you out there to freeze to death. Just take the pills and once you're well enough to walk right you can leave and never see me again, ok?"

Kirill's frown disappeared as she set the pills and water on the table in front of him and headed back to the kitchen. He stared at her for a moment before he looked to the pills on the table then gazed around the apartment.

A few feet from his left there was a glass door that led to a small balcony overlooking the street, white sheer curtains hanging over it for minimal shade. Directly in front of him was the kitchen, separated only by a small bar which had a sink and two stools on the side facing him. Adjacent to his right was the front door, directly to his right a small stand with a single drawer against the wall and behind him was a bedroom, a door on the right side of the bed leading to a bathroom. He couldn't see a door for a closet. No TV, no photos of personal effects decorated the room. It was very plain, which corroborated with her story that she'd just gotten there.

His gaze fell to the surface of the table in front of him. Lying next to the pills were a few text books. He only looked at the cover of the top book which was on the Russian language.

Kirill looked at the pills and painfully reached for one to examine it. It was a blue, oval shape and on one side was stamped, _Aleve_. He was familiar with that brand, but any organization could supply their assets with drugs that looked like one thing when they were actually something else. Then again, this girl didn't seem to be any asset he could even picture. Most of them were like him…or Jason Bourne.

"Wow."

The syllable was drawn out and laced with sarcasm when she said it. He looked up at Lily to see her leaning on the other side of the bar, her shin set in her hands, supported by her elbows.

"You know you took five whole minutes to take in your surroundings and stare at that pill?" she smirked, making him scowl as she stood tall and lifted a plate with a sandwich on it to walk toward him. She set the plate on the table next to his water and retorted, "It's not poison of anything like that. The sooner you take it the sooner you can get outta here. You can even have your gun back."

She peeled off his jacket and tossed it next to him on the couch before heading back to the kitchen. He glared at her back before looking back at the pill in his hand. He set it down and the pain he felt course through his body was what made him cave.

He took the bottle of water, opened it, took both pills in his hand, popped them into his mouth and began drinking the water. He hadn't realized how thirsty he'd been until he found himself downing half the bottle. When he came up for air he looked at the sandwich and his stomach grumbled. He hadn't realized how hungry he had been either. He reached for the plate, brought it to his lap and began eating.

Lily had been watching him from the kitchen but said nothing. She realized something must have happened to him if he was _this_ cautious, of maybe his job or lifestyle made him that way. Whichever it was, she wouldn't rub it in his face anymore. It wasn't any of her business anyway.

"You should get some sleep and let those pills kick in," she advised, putting away the things she'd used to make his sandwich. She jumped when a hand set the plate down next to her and turned to her right to find Kirill standing directly next to her.

"I'm feeling much better," he said as she swallowed. He was standing so close she could feel the heat from his body.

"Well---" she cracked before looking away from him and taking his plate to put it away as she tried again, "Well, that was fast. You must have a crazy fast metabolism. Usually it takes an hour for those pills to kick in for me."

She turned to see if he was still standing next to her but he was gone. Frowning, she heard some shuffling behind her and spun around to see him pulling on his coat with a little difficulty. She glanced to the place she'd set the gun to find it missing and looked back to him.

"You're leaving?" she guessed, stepping to the sink to lean on the counter and face him. "Where are you gonna go?"

He said nothing as he straightened out his jacket and turned to face her, limping toward her slightly, making her frown.

"What?"

"The clip. Give it to me," he ordered. Lily bit the corner of her lip and shoved a hand into her pant pocket to pull out the clip for the gun and handed it to him.

"Here," she grumbled, slapping it into his hand. He pulled the empty gun out of his pocket, loaded the clip, cocked it, and shoved it back into his pocket before turning to the door and marching toward it as best as he _could_ march with a limp.

"You're welcome!" Lily called from her spot, sarcastically. "Bye!"

Kirill stopped as he gripped the doorknob, not turning from facing the door as he murmured, "My last name is Ivanovich."

He turned his head enough to look at her. She smiled sweetly as she nodded and said, "Do svidaniya, Kirill Ivanovich."

He gave a small smirk, the first she'd seen from him and said, "Do svidaniya, Lily Kendall."

She couldn't help but grin like a giddy school girl as she nodded and he nodded in return before turning back to the door and opening it. He looked up and came face to face with the hand of a man who was about to knock on the door while looking around the hall. The man looked back to the door with a frown when his knuckles hit air, but his frown disappeared as the hand that had been up reached toward his waist.

Kirill instantly gripped the man's wrist with one hand to stop him and slammed his other fist into his face. The man still struggled for his gun as Kirill hooked his leg behind one of the man's and shoved him to the ground in the hall. The assassin finally pulled out his gun but Kirill gripped his hand and slammed it to the floor until the gun equipped with a silencer slid from his hand and onto the floor.

Kirill reached for it and pressed it to the man's temple as he froze and Kirill growled, "Kto vy?!" (Who are you?!)

The man didn't respond.

"Kogo vy rabotaete?!" (Who do you work for?!)

"Kirill?"

He turned his head just enough to see Lily in the hall.

"What---?"

"Get back inside!"

Taking advantage of his distraction, the man smacked gun from his head and punched Kirill, rolling to pin him and lock his hands around his neck. Kirill started choking but still fought, gripping one of the man's wrists with one hand, swinging his other fist wildly at the man's face.

A high-pitched, muffled shot sounded behind the assassin and he jerked, his eyes shooting wide before he slowly fell forward as Kirill felt the grip on his neck loosen. He shoved the assassin off of him before he fell completely and stared at the bullet hole in his back, right where his heart was. He looked up to Lily who was staring wide eyes at the man she'd just shot, the gun still in her shaking hands.

Kirill stood and slowly moved toward her, but she only stared down at the body as it lay in a growing pool of blood. He placed a hand on her wrist and gently lowered the gun, slipping it from her trembling grip with one hand, still looking at her as he stood next to her.

"I…" she trailed off then shuddered, "I…I killed him."

"He would've killed _you_ after killing me," Kirill guessed, examining the gun before shoving it into his other coat pocket.

"But, still…" she breathed, not looked away from the body. "I've never killed anyone before."

"I know," he sighed slightly, his heart clenching in guilt that he'd dragged her into this. "I'm sorry."

She didn't look at him of respond and he gave another sigh, knowing what had to be done. He had two options: He could take her with him – on the run at high speed, or kill her. Leaving her there was not an option. She'd tell the police everything that happened and either they would take her to jail or go after _him_. He couldn't have that. Not with his enemies coming out of the woodwork.

He made his decision in a split second, saying, "We can't stay here."

Lily's gaze finally shot to him as she gave him a wide-eyed frown and breathed, "We?"

"Where are your passport and ID?" he asked, ignoring her question.

"My…?" she trailed off for a moment before registering his question and answered, "I-In my purse."

"Get them," he ordered and she hesitated before darting into the apartment.

He looked at the body and realized that their best bet was to simply leave it. He'd call anonymously to the police to report it after they were a good distance away. Or maybe he'd just leave it to someone else.

Turning and limping into the apartment, he shut the door behind him and instantly felt something was missing: Lily was nowhere to be seen.

Something was out of place as well: The balcony door was wide open.

He ran to the door and leaned over the railing to see Lily hustling to climb down a drain pipe attached to the wall of the building. It wasn't dangerous, they were only two floors up, but his heart leapt in panic. Her passport and ID were clamped between her teeth. She was making a run for it.

Kirill ran back into the apartment and out the door to head down the hall and down the stairs. He cleared the flight in record time, even with a sprained ankle which he was now ignoring and charged through the front door of the building to round the corner just in time to see Lily dismounting the drain pipe she had been climbing. After dusting herself and taking her papers from her mouth she looked up to catch Kirill coming toward her.

_Don't run_, he pleaded, silently.

She turned and bolted in the opposite direction and he responded by bolting after her, muttering a curse in Russian as he did at having to ignore the pain in his ankle again. He gained on her quickly, even when she turned the corner onto public streets, then another into an alley. He felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand straight up and didn't have to turn around to know he was being followed.

When Lily turned down the alley he was almost right on her heels and when she rounded it, he pulled the hood of his sweater over his head just as he reached a hand out to grab her arm. She gave a squeal as he pulled her toward him and shoved her against the wall closest to them, a hand over her mouth. His trained hearing picked up the sound of hurrying footsteps and voices that were guessing where he's went.

Thinking quickly he moved his hand from Lily's mouth and planted his lips to hers, making her give a squeak of surprise. He kept his eyes closed and worked his mouth expertly against hers but kept his concentration on what he could hear. The footsteps stopped at the end of the alley just as Lily's arms wrapped around his neck, his hood remaining on. There was some murmuring as his hands went to Lily's hips, pressing her harder into the wall to make the scene look believable. He could hear that they were arguing about which direction he could have gone, then about whether the man still kissing Lily was him or not. Not until he heard the footsteps head away did he chance to open one eye to see the end of the alley empty.

Lily gave a small moan and pulled him closer, making him remember what he was doing and he generously finished off the kiss before pulling away for breath. Lily swallowed as she stared her emerald eyes into his green-hazels, breathing heavily and not letting him go.

"We were being followed," he explained, unmoving. "If you ran again, they will kidnap you to get to me. We must stay together until we are out of the country."

"Why would they think kidnapping _me_ would get to you?" she wondered breathlessly, still coming down from the high of the kiss.

"Because they've been watching me since I came out of the tunnel back there," he replied, his hands still on her hips as his body still pressed her into the wall.

"Kirill?" she breathed and their eyes locked again. "Who's 'they'?"

He set his jaw and looked her in the eye, leaning close enough to whisper, mysteriously, "Everyone."

* * *

**A/N:** and there it is! i wanted to save the kiss for later, but my hands took control before i could stop them again. reviews?


	2. Questions

**A/N:** next chappie! a little short, but i hope it's ok. enjoy!

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_**Chapter 2: Questions**_

"Where are we going?" Lily asked as Kirill pulled her up a flight of stairs in a dark, dank building. "What is this place?"

"My apartment building," he replied, not stopping as they reached the top of the stairs and headed down a hall lined with doors, the only light coming from the window at the end of the hall. "I need my passport." He stopped at a door and looked to her, asking, "Do you still have yours?"

She nodded as he reached up to the top of the door frame, groping at it until he found the key and mover to open the door. It swung ajar before he could even use the key. The couple looked to the door with wide eyes before Kirill pocketed the kay and pulled out his gun, pressing his back against the door frame, opposite the gap.

"Stay here," he mouthed to Lily and she nodded, clearing the door to stay out of sight.

Kirill eyed the gap for a moment before he aimed his gun toward it, holding it with both hands as he slowly moved the door open with his arm. His gaze darted around the living room. The first thing he noticed was the mess. Papers were strewn about, the cushions on his pull-out couch were tossed, the bed in it pulled out halfway. The drawers in the dresser at the far end of the room were opened, and the kitchen had been thrashed as well.

As he slowly stepped through the room, he knew there were two possibilities: Either his place had been trashed hours ago and the guy was already gone, or it was still _being_ trashed and he was still there.

Kirill shot his gaze around the room, his gun still raised as he slowly moved toward the other end of the room. His eyes flicked to the bathroom door on the far left. The only other door in the room. His hearing was sharp and keenly listening to everything around him. No shuffling, no mumbling and no footsteps. He only heard his own footsteps and his trained breathing, knowing the adrenaline pumping through his veins only made his breathing sound louder than it was.

However, he didn't take the chance that he missed something by just scanning the room. He stepped toward the bathroom door, aiming his gun toward it. The door was open, giving him a view of the sink, and as he approached the entrance he shoved himself against one side of the door to peek around the frame. He swung wide and aimed the gun toward the tub where the curtain was drawn. He slowly stepped toward it and yanked it back to reveal an empty, rusty shower and tub.

Sighing in satisfaction he pocketed his gun and marched toward the front door, leaning his head out to glance around the hall and catching Lily still standing clear of the door. He said nothing as he reached over, grabbed her wrist and pulled her into the apartment, slamming and locking the door behind her.

"Stay by the door," he instructed, pulling out the other gun he'd taken from the first assassin and placing it in her hands as she looked at him with wide, wondering eyes. "Take this and guard the door. Anyone who comes through there, shoot them."

"You want me to _what_?!" she squeaked, staring at him in disbelief. "I'm not shooting anybody else!"

"You won't," he assured her, still pressing the gun into her hands and looking her in the eyes. "They shouldn't come back, but if they _do_ shoot them."

"I---" she sputtered, shaking her head as she tried shoving the gun back into his hands. "I-I can't. Not again." She looked up at him and pleaded, "Don't make me, Kirill."

He sighed, defeated by the look of sheer terror in her eyes and he nodded, knowing he had not time to argue.

"Stand by the door and tell me if anyone is coming," he ordered, pocketing the gun again and gently ushering her toward the door.

She stood next to the door as he started rummaging through his own things looking for his passport. Lily glanced at him a few times as he tossed his own things, muttering in Russian when he stopped to look something over then tossing it aside.

"So what did you mean back there?" she wondered, but he didn't look at her, still rummaging through his things.

"About what?" he asked, standing in the middle of the room to scan the floor.

"About 'they' being 'everyone'," she explained. "What are you?"

He bent down to pick something up and shoved it in his pocket, not answering her question and still not looking at her. She waited, watching him move around the room, her ears on the door, listening for footsteps. He stepped toward her, stopped a for away from the door and scanned the room again before stepping completely in front of her, but she didn't move when he reached for the door knob, making him look at her in question.

"I'm in it if you're dragging me with you," she said. "But I'm not going anywhere else with you until you tell me what the hell is going on. You owe me _that_ much for saving your life…_twice_."

Kirill stared down at her but she only stared back, waiting for an explanation. He gave a gravelly sigh before gripping her wrist and dragging her toward the couch. He shoved the half-pulled bed back in, grabbed on of the couch cushions from the floor and threw it back into its place before shoving her onto it to sit. She looked up at him with wide eyes as he paced in front of her for a moment then finally stopped in front of her to kneel down to her level and look her in the eye.

"I was a government assassin," he blurted and her eyes widened at him but she said nothing. "I screwed up my last mission and my employer is probably being put in cuffs as we speak. My enemies watch me constantly, waiting to take me out when I'm vulnerable, and as long as I was employed, I was safe. Now…" He trailed off for moment. "After that chase and crash in the tunnel a lot of them probably think I'm dead, while the other _know_ I'm still alive and will take and opportunity to kill me."

"But…why?" Lily finally breathed, still staring at him.

"A person like me makes a lot of enemies," he explained. "Enemies who hold grudges and make assumptions about the company I keep. Which is why, until we leave the country, you have to stay close me and do exactly as I say for your own safety."

"Why did you bring me with you?" she asked as he stood, stopping when she spoke. "Why didn't you just leave me in my apartment?"

"Did you _really_ want to stay there with that body outside your door?" he retorted and she gave a shudder as she looked down at her lap, twiddling her thumbs. His heart clenched when she gave a sniffle and he knelt down in front of her again, placing his hands on hers. "Look, I had two options back there. Take you with me or kill you. That last one didn't appeal to me so much as it would have before. If you want to, you can stay here. I wouldn't blame you. But if you go back to your apartment, you'll be arrested for the body outside your door."

Lily looked up into his eyes, hers wide with tears welling up in them as she murmured, "Why are you so concerned about me? If you were a cold-blooded killer, why do you care so much about whether I live or die?"

Kirill stared at her for a moment trying to find the answer to that himself. He guessed it was his way of reacting to being let off the hook by the man he'd been sent to kill. Apparently, he was reforming and he was starting by protecting this innocent girl who had helped him survive the damage that crash had done to him, and the damage that assassin _could_ have done to him.

"We need to go," he said, not answering her as he stood and headed toward the door and unlocking it. He stopped and looked at her, adding, "Unless you want to stay here?"

"In this dingy apartment with your stuff all over the place?" she shot back, standing and walking toward him. "Heck no! This is too creepy!"

He stopped her before she opened the door, making her frown at him in wonder.

"If you come with me now, you'll have to _stay_ with me," he warned. "No stopping. We're running until we leave Russia, understood? You stay with me and do _everything_ I tell you, da?"

"Da," she nodded seriously, but instead of opening the door, she asked one more question. "You know, I'm sure there were a _million_ other ways to keep those guys in the alley from seeing who you were. Why did you _kiss_ me?"

Kirill turned to her and gave a small, devious smirk as he leaned against the doorframe, his arms across his chest.

"You didn't like it?" he wondered, half serious and half teasing. Lily's eyes widened at him for a second before she looked away to hide the blush that made her freckles disappear.

"I didn't say that," she muttered, still not looking at him, and his smirk grew slightly.

"It seemed like a good idea at the time," he replied, making her look at him with wide eyes. "Was I wrong?"

Lily swallowed, her gaze falling to his full lips before darting back up to his deep eyes. She stepped closer and taking careful aim, she pressed her lips to his, gently. After a moment or so she pulled away enough to kiss his lower lip as he only stood in his spot, unmoving. Their eyes locked and she pulled her lips into her mouth to lick them, not letting go of his gaze as she swallowed again. He assumed she was just testing the waters, but he had to admit, that had given him a slight thrill.

"No," she finally breathed, her heart pounding in her ears. He stared at her for a moment before standing tall and opening the door, taking her hand in his and leading her out of the apartment.

"We need to get moving," he explained, and though he couldn't believe it, his shallow breathing and thumping heart said it all. He cared about her safety because he was _attracted_ to her.

* * *

**A/N:** well, we all kinda saw that coming, didn't we? i hope this makes sense. since he's being chased by...everybody, i had to give a motive, right? anyway, reviews?


	3. Ally

**A/N:** new chappie! enjoy!

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_**Chapter 3: Ally**_

"Man alive! This country is _cold_!" Lily hissed through chattering teeth as she rubbed her arms. She'd left her warmest jacket in her apartment, and her bundle of thin sweaters were doing her no good. "H-How do you l-live in this?"

"We dress warmer," Kirill retorted, stripping off his jacket as they still walked down the street. He threw his jacket over her shoulders and wrapped it securely around her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders as well.

"A-Aren't _you_ gonna be c-cold?" she asked, looking up at him in wonder.

"I _live_ here," he replied, not looking back at her, his eyes darting around at the surroundings. "A little cold weather can't bother me."

"A _little_?!" Lily squeaked. "It's freakin' _freezing_!"

"For an American," he retorted and she glared up at him but couldn't help giving a small smirk as she looked away from his smirk.

White flecks suddenly came into her vision and she looked up to watch snow fall on and around them. She blinked rapidly when a few snowflakes fell on her eyelashes then gave a giggle as she stopped, still looking up and making Kirill stop as well to frown at her in wonder.

"What are you doing?" he asked as she grinned up at the sky. She giggled in response and stuck her tongue out, still looking up. Kirill looked around to make sure they weren't being watched for an ambush before turning back to her, not letting go of her. "We don't have time for this."

"Try it," she grinned, not looking at him. "It's fun!"

He glared at her for a moment as she only stared up at the sky, her tongue hanging out of her mouth. He gave a small sigh and shook his head, fighting a chill that slid up his spine from the cold. He glanced around, still making sure no one who looked like an enemy would try to stack them.

"Come on, Kirill," Lily urged, pulling on his arm until he looked at her grinning face, her cheeks and nose red from the cold. "Catch a snowflake!"

He sighed in defeat and glanced around once more before tilting his head back and sticking his tongue out. Lily giggled as he felt a few cold flakes fall to his tongue and he quickly pulled it back in to look at her, feeling the flakes melt in his mouth and slide down his throat.

"_Now_ may we go?" he asked, irritably and she nodded, giggling again which made him frown again and ask, "What is so funny?"

She only giggled again and lifted a hand to his face. Her finger brushed against the tip of his nose as he still frowned at her.

"You had a snowflake on your nose," she smiled, sweetly and for a moment, Kirill couldn't take his eyes off of her sweet face. The hairs on the back of his neck suddenly stood on end and he whirled around, his gaze darting everywhere. Someone was coming. "Kirill?"

He said nothing as he grabbed her hand and started marching down the street, Lily stumbling behind him. She said nothing as he pulled her down an alley, but she did look back over her shoulder once they rounded the alleyway and he sensed it.

"Don't look back!" he spat and she instantly whipped her gaze forward again. She hadn't seen anyone following them, but it didn't matter. Kirill _knew_ they were being followed. He yanked her closer as they still headed down the alley and pulled her under his arm again as she had been earlier, ignoring the pain in his side at his broken ribs. "They'll know we're on to them if you look back, and they'll know what you look like."

"If they don't already," she murmured more to herself then to him, but he still heard, and it made his heart tighten slightly in guilt. Stopping at the end of the alley he swiveled his head from right to left before he turned them left and down the street. "Think we lost him?"

"We can't chance it," he replied, ducking them into another alley. He marched them toward a door in the middle of the alley, sunken into the wall where he inserted Lily before stepping next to her.

"Take this," she whispered, shoving a hand into the jacket pocket and pulling out his gun to hand it to him, holding it by the barrel and he took it as she pulled the hood of his sweater over his head. "You can at least _try_ to hide your face."

"Stay here," he ordered, cocking the gun as quietly as he could.

"You're not gonna go _out_ there, are you?!" she hissed, making him shoot a wide-eyed gaze at her. "What if there's more than _one_ guy?!"

"I've taken out _several_ at one time, devushka," he retorted. "More than one is no problem."

"Show off," she muttered as he moved to peek into the alley.

Lily quickly pulled him back to face her as he gave her an incredulous frown but she said nothing before she pressed a kiss to his lips then shoved him back the way he'd been facing. He quickly regained himself from the shock of the kiss and tilted his head enough to look down the alley. He pulled back slightly when a coated figure stepped down the alley.

"No matter what happens," he murmured, but didn't look at her as he stepped out fully into the alley, "stay hidden. If I don't come back for in two minutes…" He stopped in the middle of the alley and turned to her, "…run."

Lily swallowed but nodded, tears glinting in her eyes. He turned to look down the alley again and stalked toward the figure coming toward him. His fingers gripping the handle of the gun, tightly as he came closer. The figure, whose back was toward the light, stopped a few yards away from Kirill who stopped only a few feet from where Lily was hiding, a shaft of light a step ahead of the shadowed figure. Only when Kirill saw the figure's hands move did he lift his gun to aim but didn't pull the trigger as the figure only held his hands at his head in surrender.

"Ya bezoruzhnyĭ." (I'm unarmed)

"Kto vy?" (Who are you?)

The figure took a step into the shaft of light in front of him, his hands still raised. The man had a smirk over his lips, his ice blue eyes twinkling below strands of dark brown hair.

Kirill sighed in exasperation, lowering his gun but not pocketing it as he glared at the man and named him, "Nikolai."

"Udivleny?" (Surprised?)

"Ya mog by ubit´ vas." (I could have killed you)

"Ya udivlen, chto vy ne." (I'm surprised you didn't)

Nikolai stepped closer to Kirill, lowering his hands as the other man only stayed in his spot.

"Chto vy hotite?" (What do you want?)

Nikolai shrugged, replying, "Pomoch´." (To help)

"Mne ne nuzhna pomoshch´," (I don't need help) Kirill snapped.

Nikolai didn't respond right away as he glanced behind Kirill and smirked, "Pochemu by nam ne poprosit´ vashego druga, chto ona dumaet?" (Why don't we ask your friend what she thinks?)

Kirill instantly turned to see Lily peeking out from her hiding place but not moving toward the men. He gave a small sigh but waved her toward him with the gun in his hand. She seemed unfazed by the weapon as she slowly crept from her hiding place to stand behind Kirill, gripping his right arm as she examined the stranger in front of them.

"Nikolai Petrov, meet Lily Kendall," Kirill introduced, waving the gun nonchalantly between the two. Nikolai smiled warmly at Lily, holding out his hand for her to shake.

"Nice meet you," he smiled in a thick Russian accent. Lily glanced at his hand but didn't shake it, opting to slip farther behind Kirill. The other man smirked as he lowered his hand, speaking to Kirill, "Ostorozhnyee, na prada li?" (Cautious, isn't she?)

"Posle dnya ona byla, ya ne mogu vinit´ yee," (After the day she's had, I can't blame her) Kirill retorted.

"Quit talking about me in Russian," Lily muttered into Kirill's sleeve. "It's rude."

"Well, where are my manners?" Nikolai shot back at her before turning to Kirill again. "You need a place to stay?"

"We're leaving the country," Kirill replied, to which Nikolai shook his head.

"Not today, you're not," he argued. "Haven't you heard the weather reports?" Kirill shook his head, mutely. "There's a bad storm blowing in. No flights in or out until tomorrow afternoon."

Kirill instantly started cursing in Russian as Lily shot a wide-eyed gaze at him in panic.

"You should stay at my place," Nikolai offered. "No one would think to look for you there."

"I'd rather stay in a hotel," Kirill muttered.

"That's the _first_ place they'll look," Nikolai warned. "Stay at my place. It's the safest place for you both."

Kirill glared at the other man before looking away in thought as Lily stayed silent throughout the conversation. Nikolai had a point. His place was below his usual Gentleman's Club, which Nikolai just happened to be the owner of. Even if his enemies searched for him there, they wouldn't find him. Not unless Nikolai _led_ them to him. But Nikolai knew he'd be dead if he did that.

"Alright," he nearly groaned, making Nikolai smirk. "But don't try sending any girls down there like _last_ time."

"You're a popular man, mal´chik-lyubovnik," Nikolai smirked as he turned to head back down the alley, Kirill and Lily following him.

"What did he call you?" she whispered, making Kirill glance at her before turning a burning gaze to the back of Nikolai's head, gritting his teeth.

"Lover-boy," he ground out and Lily couldn't help but giggle. He shot his burning gaze at her and she slapped a hand over her mouth but it only made her laugh a little harder. He sighed in exasperation as the three rounded the corner and slid her under his arm as he stepped next to Nikolai, sandwiched between them.

"Gretkov?" Kirill wondered and Nikolai glanced to Lily before looking at the other man again.

"On uzhe arestovany." (He's been arrested)

"Vy slyshali ob avarii v tunnele?" (You hear about the accident in the tunnel?)

"Da." Nikolai glanced over his shoulder before continuing, "Vot pochemu ya prishel k vam sami." (That's why I came looking for you)

"Vy znali, chto eto ya?" (You knew it was me?)

Nikolai gave his friend a blank look as he replied, "Nikto ne mog sdelat´ takoĭ ushcherb." (No one else could do that kind of damage)

Kirill gave a sneer as Nikolai stopped, looking around the street and Kirill looked at Lily when he felt a tug on his sleeve. She beckoned him closer making him frown at her but he leaned toward her anyway.

"I like hearing you speak Russian," she whispered, then quickly looked away when he still frowned at her.

_Why did she tell me that?_ He wondered, but he couldn't help smirking at her blush as she tried not to look at him.

"I hope you two don't mind sleeping in the same bed," Nikolai said, hailing a taxi. "There's only one."

"We're fine," Kirill replied before Lily could say anything. She pulled him aside as the taxi pulled up, making Kirill frown at her.

"We're not 'fine'," she whispered. "I'm not the kind of girl."

"I don't expect anything from you," he replied, quietly. "We can sleep fully clothed, if you want to."

"Hey!" Nikolai called and the two shot their gazes at him as he stood beside the open back door of a taxi. "You guys coming or what?!"

Kirill nodded and grabbed Lily's hand to drag her toward the taxi. She climbed in the back first, Kirill after her with Nikolai coming in last and shutting the door. He told the cabbie where to go in Russian as Kirill stared at Lily in the cramped back seat and she glanced out the window before looking at him with a small frown.

"What?" she wondered.

He glanced toward Nikolai before shifting to rest his left arm around her shoulders and face her as her frown deepened. Her heart jumped when he leaned toward her ear.

"I wouldn't trust him with my sister if I had one," he whispered so low she almost didn't hear him. "He especially likes _foreign_ girls. If he thinks you're _my_ girl, he won't even _breathe_ near you, let alone touch you."

Lily glanced at Nikolai over Kirill's shoulder as he didn't move away from pinning her in her corner and she swallowed before looking away from the other man.

"Why would he stay away from me if he thought I was _your_ girl?" she whispered back as he pulled away enough to look her in the eyes, their faces so close she could feel his warm breath fanning her cheeks.

"Because he knows I'd _kill_ him if he touched what was mine," he replied.

"How long do you think this little lie of ours is gonna protect me?" she whispered, licking her lips as her eyes scanned over his face before settling on his lips.

"One night," he whispered, matching her gaze. "That's all we need. We'll be out of the country by tomorrow night, anyway."

"One night?"

"One night, devushka," he almost growled and Lily shivered at the sound of it.

"W-What does devushka mean?" she murmured. "You've called me that twice, now. It's something _mean_, isn't it?"

"I thought you were studying Russian," he recalled.

"My first class was supposed to be today," she replied. "I only know 'yes,' 'no' and 'good-bye'."

Kirill scoffed and glanced over his shoulder to glance at Nikolai before leaning toward her and whispering into her ear, "It means 'girl'."

Lily swallowed nervously at his close proximity before sputtering, "O-Oh."

"Since you like my Russian, would you like to tell me what to call you?" he couldn't help but smirk, his mouth almost completely against the shell of her ear. He noticed he might have been playing this up a little _too_ much.

"I don't know what sounds good in Russian," she admitted, breathlessly.

"Suggest something and I'll say it," he advised but she set a hand on his shoulder to gently push him away making him frown.

"Why are you doing this?" she whispered, making his frown deepen. "Do you really have to go so far? I mean, he probably thinks we're together already."

Kirill hesitated before leaning next to her ear again. She probably wouldn't believe him but it was the truth.

"A man like me doesn't find many girls _willing_ to be mine," he whispered. "I _have_ to exaggerate a little. Try to bear it, please."

"Vse v poryadke?" (Everything alright?)

Kirill pulled away to look over his shoulder at Nikolai. He could see the smug smirk on the bastard's face. He was _hoping_ to witness a break-up.

"My shtraf," (We're fine) Kirill snapped slightly and turned back to Lily who was frowning at him in wonder.

Without a word he planted his lips to hers, making her squeak in surprise but she didn't pull away. Kirill shifted but groaned at the pain in his side as Lily began to melt into the kiss, shifting to make him more comfortable when he groaned. Nikolai sneered in disappointment and turned to gaze out his window.

The two next to him, however, didn't seem to notice that he'd turned away as Kirill's tongue suddenly slipped between Lily's lips, making her moan as her fingers dug into his chest. He explored her mouth for a moment before finally pulling away and meeting her gaze.

"Do you forgive me, malen´kaya?" he murmured, now loud enough for Nikolai to hear if he was listening.

"Da," Lily smiled in amusement. She really couldn't see this man being so mushy if she were _really_ his girl. "_Now_ what did you call me?"

"Little one," he replied honestly and he couldn't believe it when his heart skipped at the sight of the smile she gave.

"I like _that_ better," she whispered. He gave the smallest smirk and kissed her temple for Nikolai's benefit, but also because he just couldn't help himself.

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**A/N:** and there's that. reviews?


	4. Destination

**A/N:** new chappie! enjoy!

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_**Chapter 4: Destination**_

Kirill held Lily tightly under his arm as Nikolai lad them through the loud, dark club. It was busier than usual, which made Kirill even _more_ edgy than when he was usually there. He could never really relax when he was there, he just liked to _think_ he was relaxing.

Lily pulled a little closer to him and he didn't need to ask her what was wrong. He could see all the men's eyes being drawn to her. She was a nice, foreign piece of ass. He pulled her a little closer, stepping closer to Nikolai as they parted through the dense crowd.

"Don't worry, malen´kaya," he murmured against her ear as she darted her glance around then back to him. "None of these ryvkami will touch you as long as I'm here. I promise."

"What's ryvkami?" she wondered, welcoming the distraction.

"Jerks," he replied.

"In here," Nikolai urged, opening a door for them as they all reached the back of the club. "Try not to make a mess, da?"

"Kusat´sya," Kirill spat as he passed by the other man and through the door to head down the stars past it.

"What did you tell him?" Lily wondered as he led her down the dimly lit stairs.

"Bite me," he answered and she looked up at him when they reached a door at the end of the stairs, not being able to help herself. She pulled one of his hands up to her face and very lightly bit his index finger, making him frown at her.

"You said 'bite me'," she replied with a sweet smile, obviously joking and he realized it, making him give a small smirk. "Not so tense anymore, are you?"

"Spasibo," he nodded, pulling away to open the door for her. "Hurry."

She went through the door and into the dark room as Kirill looked back up the stairs to make sure no one was following them before heading inside himself, shutting the door behind them.

"Hey, I can't see," Lily called from somewhere in the darkness.

"Hang on," he replied ad flipped a switch next to the door. A bear light bulb hung from the ceiling, swinging on its chain flickered on.

"Such hospitality," Lily muttered, kicking a pebble on the cracking cement floor under the rusting bed frame that held a dusty, lumpy old mattress, stained and dingy sheets spread over it.

"You've stayed here before?" she wondered, wrinkling her nose as she turned back to him.

"A few times," he replied, stepping around her and toward the bed, pulling the guns out of his pockets and slipping one under the flattened pillow on the pillow. "It may be shit, but it's free."

"Well, I'm sleeping fully clothed on _that_ mattress," Lily said and turned to the wall opposite the bed to see another door. Wrinkling her nose again she muttered, "I hope the bathroom's usable."

"It is," Kirill assured her, stepping toward her with the second gun in his hand. "I cleaned it myself yesterday when I stayed here last night."

"Picky about your bathroom cleanliness?" she smirked as he stopped in front of her, but frowned in wonder when he took one of her hands.

"I know you don't like these," he began, pressing the gun into her hand as they both looked at what he was doing, "but if we get separated, it would be better if we're _both_ armed."

Lily stared down at the gun in their hands for a moment before looking up at him again, their gazes locking.

"I never said I didn't _like_ guns," she corrected. "I said I didn't wanna shoot anyone else again." She took the gun completely from him and shoved it into the deep pocket of her sweater under Kirill's jacket which she was still wore. "You're right, though."

Kirill nodded and walked toward the bathroom, standing in front of the sink and running the water as she turned to watch him, stripping off the jacket.

"We'll hide the guns to get through security," he explained, running his hands under the water and leaning over the sink to wash his face. "Or we could toss them and get new ones once we're gone."

"Where are we going?" Lily asked, stepping toward the bed, tossing the jacket onto the mattress before cautiously trying to sit on the mattress.

Kirill couldn't help but smirk as he watched her through the mirror when she jumped as the bed creaked loudly under her weight. She settled slowly on the edge of the bed, but only perched herself, ready to jump up if the bed fell apart.

"I hadn't thought about it, really," Kirill flatly lied, drying his face on his sweater sleeve as he walked out of the bathroom.

Of course he _had_ thought of it, but after all this girl had gone through she'd probably want something familiar. He had every intention of splitting up at the airport if she wanted to go back to America, where she had come from. But first, he wanted to see what _she_ would come up with. He couldn't go to America. He had _too_ many enemies there, almost as many as he had in Russia. It would have been going from the frying pan into the fire.

"Oh, you're such a liar," Lily smiled as he stood in front of her and he turned his gaze to her as she looked up at him and smirked, "It hasn't taken me that long to figure out that you have a plan for _everything_. You're not the kind of guy to leave things to chance, Kirill."

"So, you think you know me, do you?" he retorted, bending down to lean in front of her, his hands supporting himself on either side of her legs, making the bed creak again and Lily shrank back a bit, her freckles disappearing in a blush at his face being so close. "Well, malen´kaya, if you know so much, what am I thinking right now?"

Lily opened her mouth but cast her gaze down to her lap, twiddling her fingers as she muttered, "Well, I never said I could read your mind."

Kirill gave a small chuckle at her embarrassment as he stood and she looked back up at him as he waved toward the opposite side of the bed, saying, "Sleep on the side of the bed."

She frowned and wondered, "What's the difference?"

"I can protect you more easily if I'm lying on the side closest to the door," he simply replied, making her shoot a wide-eyed gaze of wonder and disbelief at him. A slight frown twitched his brows at her stare as he said, "What?"

"Protect me?" she echoed breathlessly, still staring at him.

"Da," he nodded. "You don't want to have to use that gun, do you?" She shook her head, mutely. "Then you sleep on _that_ side, and I will sleep on _this_ side."

She nodded and stood up to move, but didn't realize how close they were now standing to each other until she took a chance and looked up at him, their noses brushing against the other's. She stepped back and almost fell back on the bed, but Kirill caught her hand and pulled her back to him, making her grunt as she rammed into his chest. He groaned at the pain in his side when she landed and she looked up at him with a gasp.

"Are you ok?" she breathed, stepping to the side this time. "Sit down." He did as she instructed and slowly sat on the bed. "I'll go get Nikolai."

She moved to walk away but his left hand clamped down on her wrist, stopping her before she looked at him in question.

"You can't leave this room without _me_," he ordered. "If you go up there without me, you'll turn out to be a piece of meat in a lion's den. _All_ of those men will try to have a piece of you."

"And…what? You want me all to yourself, is that it?" she retorted with a smirk.

"Possibly," he replied instantly, making her stare at him in disbelief. "But that's not my point. Nikolai won't help if those ryvkami start groping at you. He'd leave you to fend for yourself, like he does the girls that work here. That's why you have to stay by my side while we're here more than anywhere else, da?"

Lily swallowed but nodded, replying, "Da."

Kirill nodded and let go of her wrist as he said, "I don't need Nikolai down here. He'll only call that doctor of his, and _he_ won't do any good. I already know what's wrong with me."

"He can at least give you something for the pain, can't he?" Lily wondered, sitting next to him on the bed and jumping when it creaked again.

"Net," he shook his head. "I don't want _anything_ he'd offer me."

"I thought this guy was your friend," Lily recalled. "Why are you so wary of him?"

"He's a lecherous, self-absorbed man whore," Kirill blurted. "He's a useful acquaintance. Not really a friend."

"I'd hate to hear how you talk about your _friend_," she muttered, turning away from him to do so.

"I have no friends," he replied, having heard her and she turned a wide-eyed gaze of disbelief at him as he continued, "I man in my profession doesn't make many friends. In my case, none."

"That's sad," she murmured, turning his full attention to her. "Don't you get lonely? Who do you talk to about things?"

"No one," he replied. "It would get people killed if I told them some of the things I knew."

"But, you don't have someone you hang out with, for fun?" she wondered and he only shook his head. "Wow. I'd be really…lonely."

"I have no time to feel lonely," he assured her. "My job keeps me going."

"Well, you just _lost_ your job," Lily couldn't help but chuckle. Kirill looked at her then looked away in thought before slowly trying to stand. "Where're you going?"

"I need to talk to Nikolai," he groaned as he stood fully. "Stay here."

He was about to head toward the door when she gripped his hand, stopping him and making him look frown down at her.

"You never answered my question," she recalled. "Where are we going?"

Kirill stared at her for a moment and she only stared back, waiting for an answer. He took in a breath and pulled on the hand she had a hold of to stand her up again. She frowned in wonder but said nothing as he stepped closer to her.

"How many languages can you speak _well_?" he asked and she gave a small frown but answered him.

"Including English?" she wondered and he nodded. "Four: English, Spanish, French and Japanese." He lifted a brow in question at her and she shrugged, "I wanted to be an ambassador, but I guess _that's_ gone down the drain."

"Why?" he asked, honestly interested.

"Well, mostly because I'm now on he run for my life with an ex-government assassin," she muttered, jokingly. Kirill gave a sigh of regret and nodded in understanding before she asked, "So, what do my linguistic skills have to do with where we're going?"

"Have you been anywhere outside America besides here?" he asked instead of answering her.

"No," she replied. "This is the first time I've actually come to a country to study the language."

Kirill nodded and thought a little longer. He hadn't pulled many jobs in France, Japan, Spain or Mexico. None that had left enemies for him there anyway. Making a decision he looked back at her and asked, "What do you think of France?"

Lily stared at him with wide eyes and sputtered, "Y-You're taking me with you?"

"Da," he frowned with a nod.

"But…I thought…" she trailed off and he frowned deeper, still looking at her.

"Thought what?" he asked when she didn't finish.

She shot her gaze to his, their eyes locking just for a split-second before she lowered her gaze to their hands as she placed her other hand on his to fiddle with his long fingers. She still said nothing as she stroked the tip of her finger down one of his and he only stared at her, trying to resist the chill threatening to crawl up his spine at this girl's touch.

"I thought you'd ditch me at the airport," she finally murmured, startling him out of his trance. "You know? You buy your ticket to wherever _you_ wanna go, I buy my ticket to wherever _I_ wanna go and we go our separate ways."

They were silent for a moment as she kept her gaze on his hand, still stroking his fingers one at a time as he still stared at her. Of course he _had_ thought of leaving her at the airport, but if they had separated then, what would happen between the time they left each other until they arrived at their destinations? Even _on_ the airplane there was a risk of an ambush. He wasn't sure he'd be able to forgive himself if anything happened to her once she left his side, whether it was because of her brief association with him or not.

"What do _you_ want to do?" he asked, and that shot her gaze back to his as he continued, "Do you _want_ to part at the airport?"

Lily opened her mouth but no sound came out as she shook her head and shot her gaze down again to fiddle with his fingers again. Kirill only stared at the top of her head as her hair fell in front of her face, hiding her blush.

"I-I don't know," she muttered with a small, slow shrug. "I think I've gotten used to having my own body guard. Especially one who's so handsome."

Kirill tilted his head to catch her gaze and when she didn't look up at him he brought his free hand up to her chin and pulled her gaze to his.

"Ya privyk k zashchitit´ krasivuyu devushka tozhe," (I've gotten used to protecting a beautiful girl, too) he admitted, his voice low and breathy as she gave a small frown but didn't look away from his eyes.

"W-What did you say?" she wondered, his hand never leaving her chin.

"Nothing important," he lied with a small shake of his head. "I take it by _that_ response you'd rather _not_ part at the airport?"

Lily swallowed and her gaze lowered to his lips before she breathed, "Yeah. I-I mean, I don't want to split up at the airport. I'd be too scared on my own, even on the plane."

"Da," Kirill nodded in understanding, lowering his hand from her chin but holding her gaze. "I'll tell Nikolai to take care of our tickets."

He tried again to walk toward the door but she wouldn't let go of his hand or stop staring at him. He frowned at her in wonder but she said nothing as she tugged on his hand to pull him back toward her to stand directly in front of him. She lowered the hand she was holding to his side as she stepped closer still, so close that their visible steams of breath mingled in the chilly underground room. Lily's eyes darted around his face before she cleared her throat and remembering herself she stepped away.

"Sorry," she murmured, letting go of his hands as she stepped toward the foot of the bed to step around it to the other side.

"I'm not usually like that. I haven't been with a guy in _ages_," she chuckled. "I mean, I forgot how to act around guys. The last boyfriend I had was my freshman year in _high_ school."

"There is no reason for you to apologize," he choked on the last word and cleared his throat to continue. "You're…afraid, da?"

She stopped at the foot of the bed and nodded, biting her lip before continuing to step around the bed and sat on the edge. Kirill stood in his spot, forgetting what he was going to do for a moment before he remembered and was about to head to the door yet again but stopped. Lily shivered as she sat on the edge of the bed and he picked up his coat that she'd been wearing and leaned over the bed to place it on her shoulders.

"You can sleep in that tonight," he offered, walking away and opening the door to head up the stairs.

"Spaibo, Kiriil," Lily smiled, turning to face his back and his steps faltered steps as his heart jumped.

He never thought that his native language, coupled with his name, would sound so good coming from a foreigner, but as he stepped up one of the stairs and shut the door behind him without a word, he realized he _wanted_ her with him. For how long, he didn't care, but at _least_ until they got to France, he wanted her with him, and he would protect his 'malen´kaya.'

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**A/N:** kind of adorable, no? lol! i hope all this is still making sense. reviews?


	5. Redemption

**A/N:** yay! new chappie! enjoy!

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_**Chapter 5: Redemption**_

Kirill struggled up the stairs, his ankle still flaring with pain, but he didn't mind that much. He was just grateful he'd gotten out of that accident _alive_. When he reached the door he gently shoved it open before pushing it all the way.

The loud music they'd heard on the way in was now gone. He hadn't realized how late it was until he noticed that. The club was only open from nine to five, one of those special places for out of work lackeys that needed somewhere to go during the day.

Had it been a night club Kirill wouldn't have given in to Nikolai's offer to stay. He needed to at least _try_ to sleep and so did Lily. Neither one of them would have been able to do that with loud party music thumping over their heads all.

He limped his way toward the bar where Nikolai stood, talking to the bartender who nodded at Kirill when he saw him coming. Nikolai turned and leaned on the bar as Kirill approached.

"Vy chto-nibud´ nuzhno?" (Something you needed?)

"Mne nuzhno, chtoby ty kupil dva bileta ne Frantsiyu." (I need you to buy two tickets to France)

"Frantsiyu, da?" Nikolai gave a small sneer, not moving from the bar. "Eto romantichnoe mesto, chtoby izbezhat´. Stavka vasha pordruga malo ponravit·sya, chto." (That's a romantic place to escape to. Bet your little girlfriend is gonna love that."

"Prosto dostat´ bilety," (Just get the tickets) Kirill snapped and Nikolai's sneer turned into a smirk as he leaned a little farther on the bar.

"Volneniya v rayu?" (Trouble in paradise?) he murmured, hopefully and Kirill glared at him, feeling his blood start to simmer in irritation.

"On vyglyadit nas voznikli problemy v kabine?" (Did it look like we were having trouble in the cab?) he retorted. "Ya zaplachu za nego, yesli eto to, chto vas volnuet." (I'll pay for it, if that's what you're worried about."

"Deneg net ob´´ekta dlya druga," (Money's no object for a friend," Nikolai shrugged, walking out from behind the bar and around Kirill to walk to the other side of the room. "Druga I yego devushka." (A friend and his girl)

Kirill said nothing as he followed Nikolai into a small office with a computer set up on a desk facing the door. But as he said nothing, he couldn't help smirking at the man's disdainful tone. He was probably wondering how a man like Kirill ended up with a girl like Lily. Wouldn't he'd have _loved_ to know?

Nikolai sat at the computer and typed as Kirill glanced around the empty club. He was _still_ on edge. Something wasn't right, he could feel it, and as he kept his ears on Nikolai typing, he kept his eyes on the door he'd come out of, every once in a while darting them around the room to make sure Lily hadn't snuck out of the room for whatever reason.

"You should leave in the morning," Nikolai suggested, making Kirill shoot a frown at the other man. He handed him two pieces of paper, explaining, "Boarding passes. Your flight leaves at one o'clock."

"Spasibo," Kirill nodded, taking the papers and folding them to stick them in his pocket and shoving his hand into his other pocket. "How much?"

"More than you have on you," Nikolai retorted, standing and stepping out of the room. "You'll pay me later."

"Why are you speaking English all of a sudden?" Kirill asked, pulling his hands back out of his pocket. Nikolai glanced around the room and stepped closer to the other man. His wariness and expression made Kirill tense up even more, ready for anything.

"The guys looking for you don't speak English," Nikolai murmured, making Kirill dart his gaze around the room again, but Nikolai only gestured with a wave of his hand around himself, murmuring, "The walls have ears."

He started to step away, but Kirill stopped him by gripping his upper-arm, hard, and Nikolai looked up at him with wide eyes full of question. Kirill only glared at him and growled, "Who did you call?"

"Not _me_," Nikolai argued, calmly them flicked his eyes to the bartender. Kirill looked to the man behind the bar as he cleaned up, not understanding what they were saying in English. Kirill set his jaw in anger before looking back at Nikolai and letting go of his arm.

"What time should we leave in the morning?" he asked, his real question being: When will the assassins show up?

"Eight o'clock," Nickolari replied, smoothly. What he really meant was an hour _before_ that.

Kirill nodded in confirmation, thanked him again for the plane tickets and started back toward the door leading to the stairs to the hidden room. He subtly eyed the bartender who was oblivious to everything else but his job.

Once through the door and down the stairs he cursed in Russian as he opened the door and limped into the room, slamming it behind him and making Lily jump with a start as she stood at the sink in the bathroom. She turned to watch Kirill hurry toward the bed and grab his gun from under the pillow. He sat on the edge of the mattress and unloaded the clip to take out the bullets, counting them.

"What happened?" she wondered, noticing the frown over his brow and his rushed hands as she hurried out of the bathroom and stood in front of him, but he didn't looked at her.

"Give me your gun," he ordered and she obeyed without hesitation, pulling it from her jacket and handing it to him as he set his gun aside, the now loose bullets next to it.

"Kirill, what's wrong?" she shuddered as he unloaded the clip from her gun as well and started counting the bullets, not saying anything and still not looking at her.

When he'd counted out the bullets he bit out, "Proklat´e!" (Damn!)

Lily jumped at his sudden exclamation, still standing in front of him, watching him with wide, wondering eyes.

"We'll have to split these bullets up," he muttered. "We're lucky that goon that come to your apartment was carrying the same gun as mine."

"Why are we splitting our bullets?" Lily shuddered again, still looking at him as he counted out the loose bullets on the mattress and started loading the clip he was holding in his hand. When he didn't answer, her heart started thumping in her ears and she felt near tears of panic.

"We'll be leaving early tomorrow morning," he suddenly reported, not looking from what he was doing. "You should get some sleep. It's early, but if you get to sleep now you won't be so tired."

He was loading a bullet into the clip when one of her hands rested on the opening and he finally looked up at her only to feel his heart clench in guilt when he saw small tears roll down her cheeks.

"If you think you're protecting me by not telling me what's wrong, it's not working," she breathed. "You're only scaring me."

Kirill sighed in defeat and pulled the clip from her hand to load the bullet he was still holding before setting it aside and holding his hands out to her. She frowned but took his hands so he could pull her closer, still sitting as she stood between his knees and gazed down at him in wonder and fear.

"The bartender called someone and told them I was here," he explained and Lily's eyes widened but she said nothing. "We need to leave tomorrow around seven tomorrow morning, if not earlier."

"Can't we just leave _now_?" she wondered, taking a step away to sit next to him. "Why wait till morning?"

"Chances are they're out there right now, parked in a car across the street, watching the door to see if I come out," he replied. "We're better off staying here, where we'll be ready for them."

"Like sitting ducks?" she wondered breathlessly, panic filling her emerald orbs as they stared widely at him. "What if they come in the middle of the night?!"

"They won't," he assured her, lifting a hand to place to palm gently to her cheek and run his thumb over her freckles to dry her face. She closed her eyes and leaned into the touch with a small smile, making him freeze but he didn't lower his hand.

"Your hands are warm," she murmured through her smile before opening her eyes. Their gazes locked for a moment before she straightened, pulling away from his hand and clearing her throat. "Sorry…again." She stood and turned in one swift movement to walk around to the other side of the bed. "I keep doing that, don't I? I don't mean to."

Kirill, who had watched her until she sat on the bed again, shook himself back to reality and turned to loading the clips for their guns, saying, "It's fine. I know that some people seek comfort in the person they're with when they are afraid."

"_Some_ people?" Lily echoed with a frown as she slowly shifted to pull her legs onto the mattress and lie back as he still sat up. "You don't? Oh, wait. How stupid of me. You're not afraid of _anything_, are you, Mr. Ivanovich?"

He could hear the smirk in her tone as he sat with his back facing her, but his hands still froze for a split second from their work before he continued loading the clip in his hand.

"Hey," she called gently, concern now in her tone. "I was just kidding, youknow? I didn't---"

"I know," he muttered, finishing off the clip and loading it into one of the guns, doing the same with the second slip and gun and slipping one under his pillow, the other in his hand as he slowly struggling to pull himself onto the bed, fully. Lily moved to help him but he only shook his head, gritting his teeth at the pain in his side. When he laid down on his back he gave a sigh of relief, Lily watching him as he looked at her and held the second gun to her.

"Shoot _only_ when you're _sure_ you can hit what you're aiming at," he ordered as she took it from his hand. "We can't afford to waste any bullets right now."

She nodded and turned to slide the gun under her side of the mattress before turning back to face him, making him frown in wonder.

"Chto?" he asked, making her frown.

"What?"

"Da. that's what I said."

"Oh." Lily couldn't help but give a little giggle at the banter before she asked, "Does you side feel any better?"

"Net," he groaned, shifting to lay on his left side, tucking his arm between his head and the flat pillow. "It still hurts like hell."

"I'm sorry I didn't bring any pain killers with me," she said, shifting to be more comfortable on her right side to face him. "I was kind of in a hurry to get out of there."

Kirill nodded in understanding but couldn't help asking, "Why did you run?"

She met his green0hazel gaze for a second before looking to the mattress as she picked at something on it, giving a small shrug as she muttered, "I don't know. I was…afraid of you for a second, I guess. I mean, I'd just met you and there you are yelling as some guy while pointing a gun to his head. I thought…you'd do that to me or _worse_, so I took off."

"I would _never_ do that to you, Lily," he replied, instantly. She shot her gaze up to meet his in surprise, but he was dead serious, and she could tell. "After what happened to me in that tunnel, I _couldn't_ hurt you after you saved my life…_twice_." He reached a hand out and touched hers that was still picking at the mattress, their gazes never wavering from the other's. "I'm not who I was, if that makes sense."

"I understand," she murmured with a small smile. They sat in silence for a moment before she licked her lips and shifted closer to him, his hand still on hers and she looked at their hands as she wondered, "What happened to you in that tunnel? Were you in an accident of something?"

Kirill gave a small sigh as she looked back up at him. She was this far in, she may as well know it all, he thought.

"I was given a mission to kill a man," he explained, looking her in the eyes. "I failed the first time. My second attempt resulted in what you saw this afternoon. I…underestimated him."

"He _must_ be good if you're admitting _that_," Lily observed, making him give her a frown. "You don't seem like the kind of guy to admit that easily. So…what happened when you caught up with him the second time? He obviously beat the crap outta you, but I'd like details."

He couldn't help but smirk at her joking tone and gave a small scoff as he let his gaze fall to their hands. He hadn't noticed she was stroking his fingers again, absently. It was soothing.

"You were right before," he answered, not looking from their hands. "It was a car crash. He pinned my car between his and a pillar." Lily's hand gripped his lightly as he continued, "He got out of the car to finish me off, but…"

"You escaped?" she guessed when he trailed off.

"No," he murmured, a small frown appearing over his brow as he shook his head slightly. "He had his gun pointed at me. I was completely at his mercy and he…he didn't kill me. He just stared at me, lowered his gun and walked away." He looked up at her, still frowning and she frowned back as he wondered, "Why would he do that?"

Lily took in a breath as she thought for a moment before shifting so close that their hands were pinned between their chests, their faces only inches apart.

"Maybe, he believes every man deserves a second chance," she whispered as his frown disappeared, his eyes scanning over her face as she stared at him. "A second chance to change who they are to what they _want_ to be, you know? Maybe, he was giving you _yours_?"

"Redemption?" Kirill summarized in a breath.

"Exactly," she smiled with a small nod. "Maybe France could be your start to that redemption? You can make a new life for yourself. That is, if you _want_ to."

His eyes scanned over her face, making her blush at and glance away from his intense gaze. He moved his hand from hers and placed the tip of his fingers under her chin to pull her gaze back to his.

"I _want_ to change," he nodded slightly, holding her gaze. "But I have to run first, which means I can't change just yet."

Lily nodded, her gaze falling to his lips, her heart starting to thump in her chest as she suddenly noticed how close they were to each other. She suddenly shivered, a chill of cold running through her body from the cold of the room, making Kirill frown in wonder and he shifted to close the gap between them, pulled her closer by wrapping his arm around her.

"Cold, malen´kaya?" he murmured as she stared at him with wide eyes. She swallowed but gave a small nod before looking away from his intense gaze. "That's why I told you to sleep with my coat. It's colder down here."

"Y-Yeah," she nodded, still not looking at him. "I noticed that."

"We can sleep close together like this," he suggested, then quickly added, "to stay warm."

"Yeah," Lily breathed. "Th-That's a good idea." She snuggled closer, slipping her arm cautiously around his chest to hug him close as he hugged her as well and she set her head on his chest. She frowned and looked up at him, making him look back at her as she asked, "How do you say 'good night' in Russian?"

Kirill smirked and replied, "Spokoĭnoĭ nochĭ."

She mouthed it before smiling and snuggling her cheek to chest again, murmuring, "Spokoĭnoĭ nochĭ, Kirill."

He swallowed when his heart skipped and he prayed she hadn't felt it.

"Spokoĭnoĭ nochĭ, Lily," he murmured before swallowing again. If he thought hearing _her_ speak to him in Russian was music to his ears, _talking_ to her in Russian was honey on his tongue, and he wanted more. He was so glad she was coming with him. He was sure he'd get lost if she wasn't with him.

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**A/N:** oh, i couldn't resist the cuteness. it'll get crazy next chappie, i promise. reviews?


	6. Caught Off Guard

**A/N:** wahoo! new chappie! enjoy!

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_**Chapter**__** 6: Caught Off Guard**_

Kirill groaned from the pain in his right side as he awoke laying on it. He struggled to roll onto his back and stretched out his left arm to encircle Lily in it…but Lily wasn't there. Frowning, he opened his eyes and turned to see her side of the bed empty, making him slowly sit up, still frowning at the spot.

"Dobroe utro, Kirill." (Good morning, Kirill)

He shut his eyes in silent frustration before opening them again as he turned his head to the door to see a frightened Lily staring at him with wide, scared emerald eyes as a huge hand was clamped over her mouth, the huge hand belonging to the huge, white-haired Russian behind her, holding a gun to her head with the other hand. She was trembling, and there were tears forming at the corners of her eyes. It made his stomach flip and twist in nausea.

"Otpusti yee," (Let her go) Kirill ground out, but the man only pulled Lily closer, making her whimper and Kirill instantly shoved his hand under the pillow for his gun. He came up empty. The man holding Lily waved the gun at him before placing it back on Lily's temple.

"Vy, slovno svet, Kirill," (You were out like a light, Kirill) the man taunted with an evil smirk. "Ya hotel by byt´ nacheku vse vremya, yesli ya byla krasivaya devushka, kak eto so mnoĭ." (I would be on guard all the time if I had a pretty girl like this with me)

"Chto vy hotite?" (What do you want?) Kirill snapped.

The man glanced at Lily and gave a devious smirk to Kirill before nuzzling his nose into her hair, making her whimper again. Kirill pulled his hand into a fist next to him as he watched Lily's eyes shoot open and the emeralds orbs were filled with urgency at him. Her eyes flicked to her side of the bed before looking back at him as she felt her captor nibbling at the nape of her neck. Kirill gave a small frown but soon remembered that she'd shoved her gun under the mattress, and apparently it was still there. The man would have only checked for _one_ gun.

"Vzyat yee," (Take her) Kirill shrugged, shooting the man's gaze at him in wonder as Lily gave a small frown, unable to understand him or why he was suddenly so calm. "Ona dlya menya nichego." (She means nothing to me)

The man raised a brow at him before spinning around and shoving Lily against the door, his hand still over her mouth as her eyes widened in terror.

"Tak chto vy ne budete vozrazhat´ yesli ya vzyat yee pryamo zdes´, chto li?" (So you won't if I take her here, then?) he grinned evilly at Lily, but spoke to Kirill.

"Net," he replied, emotionlessly.

The man gave a breathy chuckle as he peeled off his jacket, pulling his hand away from Lily's mouth to do so, allowing her to speak.

"Kirill…" she called, still looking at the man in front of her.

"Play along," he said, assuming the man didn't speak English and he was right because he didn't take his eyes from Lily. "Trust me. I won't let him hurt you."

"Vy odin bol´noĭ ublyudok, Kirill," (You are one sick bastard, Kirill) the man smirked before attacking Lily's mouth with his. She squeaked and began struggling but he shoved the gun he still held to her head again. She groaned in despair before his mouth trailed to her neck and she whimpered when his other hand moved down her body, her eyes shut tight.

"Vy tak dumaete?" (You think so?) Kirill replied from behind him, a gun to his head.

Before the man could say anything as he lifted his head next to Lily's, Kirill pulled the trigger, making Lily scream at the shot and the blood that sprayed onto her face as the man jerked against her and fell to her feet, dead. She stared down at the body as Kirill grabbed his gun from the dead hand and shoved it into his pocket. He grabbed her arm and moved her away to open the door and drag her up the stairs. She was still trembling but said nothing.

Kirill stopped at the door and pushed her against the wall at the hinge of the door, holding a finger over his lips to tell her to be silent. She nodded as she began wiping the blood from her face with her sleeve and he turned to slowly open the door, peeking out of the crack he made. The club was empty and dimly lit, but as far as he could see, it was safe. He grabbed Lily's arm and pulled her through the door with him.

She gave a gasp when she saw the bartender slumped over the bar with a bullet hole between his eyes, but he didn't stop their march to the door. She let out a small scream when she noticed Nikolai lying in a pool of his own blood off to the side and when they reached the door Kirill pulled her in front of him, gently setting her against the wall as his gaze bored into hers.

"This is what will happen if you stay with me," he warned again. "At least it will be until we get out of the country, perhaps not even then." He stroked a hand over her cheek before setting it on her shoulder and murmuring, "Can you handle it, malen´kaya?"

Lily only stared at him for a moment, trembling as her gaze shifted around the room. He could tell she was weighing her options. Then again, she could have been in shock, but he waited for her answer. She looked down at herself and started pulling off the jacket she still wore that was his. He frowned at her in wonder but she only pushed it against his chest.

"You'll need this more than I do," she murmured as he still frowned at her, but took it in one hand anyway. "You can get me a warmer jacket on our way to the airport."

Their gazes met and she gave a tired smile before taking the gun from his hand and shoving it in one of her sweater pockets. She gave a small sniffle as she straightened out her sweater, flipping her hair from her face before she looked up at him again. His hand came up to her face again to wipe away a tear that had trickled down her cheek and mixed with blood with his thumb, his gaze lowering to her lips.

"I'm sorry," he murmured, making her frown as her scanned over his face. "He didn't…hurt you, did he?"

She shook her head, licking her lips before replying, "He just…creeped me out…a _lot_."

"I'm sorry," he whispered again. "But I needed a diversion."

"I understand," she murmured with a slight nod. "I knew you wouldn't let him get too far."

"I _won't_ let it happen again, Lily," he assured her and she shot her gaze to his, her heart skipping when he said her name. "I promise."

She only nodded and he glanced around the room in thought, pulling on his jacket.

"We need more cash," he murmured to himself.

His gaze fell to Nikolai's body and with sudden lightening speed he was kneeling next to the body, careful not to step in the blood around him and rummaging through his pockets. Lily turned her gaze away from the scene, understanding the need for it but half of her not believing he was searching the dead body of his 'useful acquaintance.'

She caught Kirill standing and looked at him to see him toss Nikolai's wallet onto the body, shoving the cash that was in it into his pocket. He stepped toward her without a word and took her hand in his, opening the door to peek outside, before opening it completely and marching into the freezing morning air. He pulled Lily under his arm as his gaze darted around the street, his hearing on everything else.

The goon hadn't come alone. His partner or partners _had_ to be somewhere. He suddenly caught the soft squeal of breaks and slow crunching of snow under tires. He'd heard it so many times, it was unmistakable. They were in a car, following them.

"Get ready to run," he murmured, his hand slipping from Lily's shoulder to grip her hand as he kept his eyes on the alley they were coming up on. "As soon as we turn into that alley."

"Da," Lily nodded slightly, gripping his hand a little tighter.

Kirill started breathing slowly, steadily preparing for the chase. He knew the car wouldn't fit through the alley, and if he could just get them to the other side of it without a hitch, they would be fine. But he wasn't sure how many men were in the car, or how many were armed, if any of them were at all. It was a big chance, and the odds were against him, but he'd have to risk it.

"Stay ahead of me," he murmured to Lily. "Run as fast as you can and don't look back, no matter what you hear. When you get to the end, turn left and stay there. Whatever happens, _don't stop_."

"But-"

"Don't stop," he repeated as they came to the alley, the crunching of snow still sounding behind them. They both turned into the alley and he shoved her ahead of him, shouting, "Run!"

They both took off down the alley and he heard the revving of the car engine before the squeal of the breaks as he concentrated on his breathing, seeing Lily ahead of him, like he told her. The pains in his ankle and side were ignored as he kept Lily in his sights, not failing to notice that she was _way_ ahead of him.

_Good_, he thought. _If they start shooting they'll hit __me__ and not her._

As if reading his mind gunshots rang out making Lily gave a small scream and throw her arms over her head, but she kept running. More shots rang out and a bullet hit Kirill in the left shoulder, making him shout in pain and grab his shoulder but he continued running as best he could, the wounds he'd already sustained screaming in pain.

He heard squealing tires ahead of them and shot his gaze to the exit of the alley, shoving a hand in his pocket for his gun at the sight of a car stopped in front of Lily.

"Brosit´ shuruproverty vokrug i poluchit´ svoyu zadnitsu v mashinu!" (Quit screwing around and get your ass in the car!)

Kirill frowned at the familiar feminine voice for a moment before a few more shots rang out and brought him back to reality. Lily was frozen in confusion next to the car when Kirill ran up and grabbed her arm to pull her the car, open the door and shove her in before getting in himself.

"Idti!" (Go!) Kirill shouted at the blonde girl in the driver's seat and she shifted gears before slamming a foot onto the gas and skidding off down the street,

"Poluchila v sebe glubokie de´mo, ty, Kirill?" (Got yourself into some deep shit, did you, Kirill?) the blonde smirked as they sped down the street.

"Tol´ko obychnye," (Only the usual) he replied, looking out the back window as Lily frowned between the two.

"Obychnye, ne ostavit´ Nikolaĭ mertvym na polu kluba." (The usual doesn't leave Nikolai dead on the club floor)

Kirill turned his gaze to the rear view mirror where he saw the girl's pale blue eyes glance at him before turning her attention ahead again.

"Gotovy skazat´ pravdu?" (Ready to tell me the truth?)

He looked at Lily as she frowned at him before he looked behind them again.

"Ya zavinchivayushchyĭsya rabotu. Moĭ boss nahodit·sya v tyur´me. Poschitaĭte." (I screwed a job. My boss is in jail. Do the math)

"Kirill, what's going on?" Lily murmured, drawing his attention to her. She was frightened as well as confused and when her gaze fell to his shoulder more fear glazed over her eyes. "You're hit!"

"Where are you headed, Kirill?" the blonde in the driver's seat suddenly asked English as Lily started to pull the jacket off of Kirill's shoulder where he'd been shot.

"The airport," he replied then growled in pain when Lily pressed on his shoulder. "What are you doing?"

"We're not going to the airport yet," she corrected, not looking from his shoulder. "We need to stop at a drug store for a first aid kit."

"O chem ona? Vashu lichnuyu medsestru?" (What is she? Your personal nurse?) the blonde chuckled, turning down a street and Kirill glared at her.

"Prosto privestu nas v apteku, Sasha," (Just get us to a drug store, Sasha) he ground out.

"I'm Sasha Molotkoff," the blonde smiled into the rearview mirror. "What's your name?"

"Lily Kendall," she replied, but didn't look away from Kirill's shoulder as she took her sleeve and began sapping up the blood. "How do you know Kirill?"

"I work – well _worked_ at the club," Sasha replied, stopping the car. "So, seeing as you _both_ have blood all over yourselves now, I'm going be nice and get the stuff for you. First aid kit, right?"

"Right," Lily nodded, still not looking from Kirill's shoulder. "I have money-"

"I'll do it," Kirill groaned, shoving a hand into his jacket pocket and pulling out some money to hand it to Sasha,

"Spasibo," she nodded and turned off the engine before getting out.

"So, she didn't seem too upset that she no longer has a job at the club," Lily observed, still dabbing her sleeve on his shoulder.

"That's the job to her," Kirill growled in pain against her touch. "She'll be fine."

Lily nodded silently as she examined his wound and he stared down at her.

"Looks like the bullet went straight through," she noticed. "At least I won't have to pull anything out."

"How can you be so calm around bloody wounds?" he couldn't help but wonder. His tone of awe and sincere interest made her look up at him with a small smile.

"Like firearms, I've been around wounds before," she replied.

"How?" he blurted. "You're so…"

"Innocent?" she guessed when he trailed off and he gave a small nod. "My dad had a job that had him coming home with _plenty_ of battle scars."

"What job was that?" Kirill wondered, honestly interested.

"Construction," she shrugged, slightly.

"Why didn't he go to a doctor?"

"We couldn't afford insurance. So, I studied up on advanced first aid."

"And the guns?" he wondered.

"We didn't live in the best of neighborhoods," she explained, leaning her head on the seat. "Dad couldn't be there all the time to protect me, so he taught me how to protect myself. He used to be military, so he knew a lot about guns."

"You keep using the past tense," he noticed. "Is he…?" Lily nodded when he trailed off, knowing what he'd realized. "How?"

"Work accident," she murmured. "He dropped a nail gun just right and…" She made a humming sound through her teeth as one of her hands came up to tap her index finger between her eyes. Kirill gave a frown as she lowered her hand. "The most safety-oriented guy on the planet goes out like _that_. Kind of ironic, I guess."

"You're so…calm about it," he noticed.

"Well, it's been almost five years," she replied. "I've made my peace with it. It _does_ hurt, but not as much as those first few months without him."

Kirill nodded in understanding before wondering, "If you had money problems, how did you end up here?"

"I had to get a job," she shrugged. "I squirreled away enough money to get myself a ticket here and any school supplies I needed."

"How old are you?" he suddenly blurted, making Lily giggle.

"Twenty-one," she grinned. "I seem younger, right? I get that all the time."

"No," Kirill replied, shaking his head slightly. "Twenty-one sounds about right."

The car jostled when Sasha got back into the car, handing a white box to Lily.

"Change," Kirill demanded, holding a hand to her as she clipped on her seat belt and started the car.

"I'm keeping it," she replied as Lily opened the box to see what was inside that she could use. "You cost me my job with your 'usual' crap. Plus I have to drive you to the airport. I'm _keeping_ your change."

"Suka," (Bitch) Kirill muttered as the car started down the street.

"Vy hotite menya lyubym drugim putem?" (Would you want me any other way?) she smirked into the rearview mirror.

He only glared at her for a moment before Lily gently pushed him to sit back against the seat and mercilessly poured disinfectant over his gunshot wound. He growled in pain as he looked at her but she didn't look back at him as she started unpackaging a huge bandage. He frowned in wonder at her for a moment, taking in her expression and movements.

Her jaw was set, her eyes not meeting his as she concentrated on what she doing and her hands were moving deliberately. She had been docile and sweet a moment ago, but now she was being a _little_ harsh to say the least. Kirill could see it clear as day and it made him smirk as he held back from scoffing.

Hearing him talk to Sasha made Lily _jealous_.

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**A/N:** little background on Lily. figured it was time. reviews?


	7. Airport Cover

**A/N:** wow, sorry this took so long, but here it is! new chappie! enjoy!

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_**Chapter 7: Airport Cover**_

"Sure you don't need help?" Sasha called from the driver's seat of her car as Lily and Kirill got out of the back seat at the airport.

"Yes, we're sure, thank you," Lily almost snapped before almost slamming the door and gently pulling Kirill into the airport. He gave a chuckle as they shuffled through the lobby, making her frown at him, stopping them. "What's so funny?"

"You," he scoffed with a small smirk. "Your face is _almost_ as green as your eyes."

"What are you talking about?"

"You're _jealous_, malen´kaya," he explained and she gave a frown before shaking her head with a smirk and a scoff.

"And _what_, pray tell, am I jealous of?" she wondered, walking them toward an empty bench against the wall to sit them down.

"Not what," Kirill groaned as he sat, Lily next to him. "Who." She frowned at him again as he continued, "When I was speaking to Sasha you were merciless in handling my shoulder."

"I didn't make it any worse," she pouted slightly, knowing she had been caught.

"No, but you certainly didn't make it any _better_ before bandaging it, moĭ dorogoĭ," he retorted.

"Hey," she chirped, holding an index finger up to his face, warningly. "If I don't know what it means, you're not allowed to say it." Kirill raised a brow of amusement at her as she lowered her hand, her gaze following to her lap at his intense stare as she murmured, "What does it mean?"

"I don't think I'll tell you just yet," he smirked and she shot her gaze back to him. "But don't worry, I'm not calling you anything offensive." Lily looked down at her lap to twiddle her fingers again and he leaned toward her to whisper, "Ya dolzhen priznat´sya, revnost´ zastavlyaet vas vyglyadet´ yeshcha krasivyee." (I have to admit, jealousy makes you look even more beautiful)

Lily swallowed before opening her mouth to speak but no sound came out. He raised his brows at her expectantly as she cleared her throat and sputtered, "L-Look, if you're gonna be talking to me in random Russian like that, then you're gonna have to teach me the language so I can tell you off because I _know_ you're saying mean things to me."

"Not at all, malen´kaya," he murmured, leaning closer still toward her face. "It's all good things, I promise."

"Then why not just say them in English?" she breathed, her gaze falling to her lips as he still leaned toward her.

"You said you liked my Russian," he reminded her, a breath away from her lips. "But if you don't like it---"

"I never said that!" she cut in hastily, her eyes widening in panic and Kirill couldn't help but smirk as they remained close. "I just think you should teach me Russian since we're gonna have time."

"I can do that," he nodded, more than willing to hear her speak Russian to him. "But first, we have to get to our gate."

"You have our boarding passes?" she guessed.

"Da," he nodded, reaching toward the pocket he'd stuck them in only to groan in pain.

"Let me," Lily suggested and slid a hand into the pocket he'd reached for before he could answer.

He watched her, holding back a groan as he felt her hand rummaging through his pocket. She sucked her teeth in disappointment when it seemed she couldn't find them and moved to her hand out of his pocket but one of his hands came up to place itself gently on her shoulder, making her look up at him with a frown. Kirill said nothing as he lifted his hand from her shoulder to stroke a long, slender finger down her cheek, her freckles disappearing under a blush of red as their gazes locked.

"Prekrasnyĭ," (Beautiful) he murmured before closing the gap and pressing his lips gently to hers.

Her breathed hitched but she didn't pull away as the hand the had stroked her cheek slid its fingers around the back of her neck, his thumb stroking her cheek as he pulled her closer, his mouth moving against hers, coaxing her out of her shock to kiss him back. She inhaled deeply before parting her lips to allow his tongue to enter, moaning when it did to dance with her own. A moment later they parted for breath and stared at each other, breathing heavily.

"Was somebody gonna recognize you again?" she wondered and he shook his head.

"Net," he breathed before swallowing.

"Then why'd you do that?"

Kirill's eyes scanned over her face before leaning in again and pressing his mouth against the shell of her ear, making her sigh before her breath quickened.

"Because I _wanted_ to," he whispered.

"Well, I'm glad you did," she whispered back and he couldn't help but smirk. "Because if you didn't _I_ was going to."

He gave a small scoff before pressing a kiss to her cheek and pulling away to murmur, "We have to go."

Lily nodded and reached into the pocket she'd been digging through as he smiled at her, watching her intently. She pursed the tip of her tongue between her lips at the corner of her mouth as she searched for their boarding passes and he couldn't believe how cute he thought she looked. She grinned with a delighted 'ah-ha' as she pulled the papers out and unfolded them.

"So, we have _lots_ of time to figure out what we're gonna do," she smiled, handing his boarding pass to him.

"We'll need some sort of cover," he said, slipping his hand into his pocket to touch the handle of his gun. He suddenly smirked, coming up with an idea, making Lily frown at him in wonder.

* * *

"All _this_ to smuggle in a couple of guns?" Lily muttered as Kirill held on to her arm, walking her through the airport toward security. Her hands were bound in front of her with plastic ties Kirill had found in his pockets, her hair a tousled mess and she wore Kirill's sweat jacket he'd cleaned of blood in the bathroom as he now wore his lather coat, both guns in each pocket.

"Not _just_ that, malen´kaya," he murmured, keeping his eyes on his surroundings. "Anyone watching us will think I'm still emplyed and taking a prisoner to France."

"If _only_ it were that simple with you, Kirill," she retorted and he glared at her before pulling her aside, out of sight in a corner.

"Listen," he urged and waited for her to nod as she blew a wisp of hair from her face. "You are a French girl here illegally, a wanted thief by the French government. You have an attitude problem and issues with authority."

"Is this _really_ necessary?" she almost whined, scratching at the ties around her wrists.

"Yes, moĭ dorogoĭ," he murmured, stepping closer to her and adjusting the ties so they wouldn't dig into her wrists so harshly. "In order to keep our guns and possibly get out of the country without any problems we need to have a believable cover."

"And _this_ is what you come up with?" Lily whispered. "Making me a thief?! A criminal?!"

"Once we're on the plane you can return to your normal, adorable self, but for now, you must do this," he explained and frowned when she suddenly smiled. "What?"

"You think I'm adorable," she grinned, biting her lower lip and he sighed at himself for letting _that_ slip out.

"Focus, Lily," he urged and she instantly straightened, nodding definitely and he nodded in approval as he pulled her into the open again.

"Pourquoi ai-je retrouver avec une secousse de Russie pour une escorte?" (Why did I end up with a jerk Russian for an escort?) Lily muttered, suddenly up for the role play and catching Kirill off guard, but he quickly regained himself.

"Essayez de ne pas jouer trop fort," (Try not to play it up too much) he advised and she gave him a sideways glance, smirking as she did.

* * *

"Ces choses sont bien sorrés," (These things are tight) Lily grumbled, making a scene in front of the attendant as they sat at the gate and she scratched at her wrists before hitting Kirill's arm, but making it _look_ harder than it was as she asked, "Desserrer cela en compte pour moi?" (Loosen these up for me?)

"Pas de chance, voleur," (Not a chance, thief) Kirill replied, gazing around the airport and Lily slouched in her seat, pouting effectively.

They'd gotten through security well enough, all that was left was to get through the next few hours withoutany trouble. Kirill hoped he wou;dn't have to make a scene.

"J'ai faim," Lily whined dramatically, holding her stomach as she turned to Kirill. "Ne pouvons-nous obtenir quelque chose á manger?" (Can't we get something to eat?)

Kirill turned to reply when he felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand straight up. He didn't turn from Lily as he nodded, "Oui. Pour vous empêcher de pleunicher dans le rested u vol." (Yes. To keep you from whining the rest of the flight)

He pulled her to her feet roughly by the arm and she frowned at him in wonder as he pulled her along the shops and restaurants to their right.

"Kirill?"

"We're being followed," he reported in a low voice. "Don't look back, just pretend to struggle a bit."

She did as she was told and every few steps she would try to yank her arm from his grip, dramatically. He held on to her as his gaze darted around the airport for cover. Somewhere at least for _Lily_ to hide until he lost their tail. He spotted a coffee shop just around a corner they were coming up on and pulled her a little closer so she could hear him whisper.

"Count three steps then pull away from me," he instructed. "I'll let you go and you take off running into the coffee shop around the corner. They'll follow _me_, ot you. I'll come for you once I've taken care of it."

"But---"

"Do as I say," he cut in, firmly.

Lily swallowed and nodded slightly. She caught the coffee shop in her sights before counting, mouthing the count so Kirill could prepare himself.

One…two…three…

She yanked her arm from his loosened grip and bolted for the shop. Kirill pretended to be astonished for a moment before taking off after her. He saw Lily dart into the shop, but turned his head at such an angle that it looked like he missed her.

He stopped for a split second, pretending to look around before heading into a small bookstore. He knew his tail was still on him, but didn't look back at him. He acted like he was looking for Lily, slipping both hands into his coat pockets.

Rounding a shelf of magazines, he spotted his tail pretending to thumb through a book. Kirill continued to act like he was looking around the store until the man following him looked away for a moment and Kirill ducked low, out of sight. He felt a satisfied thrill when the man started to panic, looking for his target. Kirill slid a gun from his pocket as he crept up on the man, stood behind him and jabbed the thing into her back, his free hand clamping onto the other man's arm to keep him still.

"Ne otorvat´ glaz ot vashyeĭ tselevoĭ," (Don't take your eye off your target) Kirill mocked in his ear, pushing the barrel of the gun deeper into the man's back. "Hvostohranilishcha shkole odin nol ´odin." (Tailing school one-oh-one)

Kirill grabbed the man's collar and spun him around to face him, the gun now at his gut, his back on the shelf they were standing in front of.

"Chto vy hotite?" (What do you want?)

"U menya yest´." (I have a message)

"Ot kogo?" (From who?)

"Gretkov."

Kirill's eyes shot wide in surprise, but it quickly shifted to anger as he rammed the gun deeper into the man's gut, growling, "Ye ne hochu slyshat´, chto ublyudok dolzhen mne skazat´." (I don't wanna hear anything that bastard has to say to me)

"On hochet, chtoby vyzvolit´ yego iz tyur´my," (He wants you to get him out of jail) the messenger continued. "On govorit, chto vy budete platit´ bol´she, chem rabota Borna." (He says he'll pay you more than the Bourne job)

That made Kirill pull the gun back a bit. Gretkov would pay him more than he had for a job he hadn't even pulled smoothly? He _must_ have been desperate. Then again…

He shoved the gun back to its place and asked, "Chto delat´, yesli ya ne budu prinimat´ predlozhenie?" (What if I don't take the offer?)

"Togda vy budete ohotilis´ vseh i ih brat, za bol´shuyu nagradu za vashu golovu, a malo podrugi." (Then you'll be hunted by everyone and their brother for a big bounty on _your_ head, and your little girlfriend's)

Kirill felt his blood start to simmer in rage at the mention of Lily, but instead of showing it, he scoffed and patted the man's face with his fingers, pocketing the gun. He glanced around the store to make sure no one was watching before gripping the man's throat in one hand and spinning him until his chest, ignoring his prior wounds and snapping the man's neck. He let him drop to the floor and marched out of the store to look for Lily.

* * *

Lily sat, huddled in a corner as she waited for Kirill to come for her. She prayed he was alright and not getting any more injuries, because she wouldn't be able to treat him with bound hands. She chewed on her lower lip as her eyes darted around the room and several people probably through she was insane, but she didn't care.

A pair of familiar shoes suddenly appeared in front of her and she shot her gaze up to see Kirill frowning down at her in wonder.

"What are you doing?" he couldn't help but frown and she tried to get up but her bound hands held her back. Kirill bent down and gripped the link of the ties between her wrists and hauled her to her feet.

"You told me to hide," she reminded him, flipping her hair out of her face only to have it fall into it again. She tried blowing it out of her face but it didn't work. Kirill couldn't help but chuckle at her and moved her hair from her face.

"Are you truly hungry?" he wondered and she nodded. "Alright, we'll get something to take back to the gate with us."

She nodded and glanced around before quickly pressing a kiss to his lips and he gave a scoff before gripping her arm and 'dragging' her from the shop. He had a feeling they'd be doing more than just kissing when they got to France.

* * *

_Later..._

They both shot to their feet when their flight was called, Kirill's gaze shooting everywhere. He knew they were being watched, he could feel it. He held tightly to Lily's arm and she almost told him he was hurting her, but by the way he was looking around she decided against it. They inched forward in the line as Kirill glanced to his left. He caught two men heading toward them and knew they were there for _him_.

"Posadochnye talony i pasporta, pozhaluĭsta," (Boarding passes and passports, please) the attendant said, startling Kirill's attention to her. He pulled his papers from his pocket and handed them to her so she could scan the pass and check the passport before handing them back to him and waiting for Lily's. Kirill looked to Lily with false irritation and nudged her arm.

"Donnez-lui vos papiers," (Give her your papers) he growled, to which Lily sarcastically held up her bound hands.

"Un peu difficile á faire lorsque vos mains sont liées, connard," (Kind of hard to do when your hands are tied, asshole) Lily convincingly spat, and Kirill glared at her and rummaged through her pockets to find the things they needed, making Lily smirk as she murmured, "Sentir ce que vous voulez?" (Feel anything you like?)

He hesitated in shock at her tone but yanked out her boarding pass and passport, acting as though he didn't care what she said. As he handed the woman the papers, he couldn't help but get a little impatient as he glanced behind him to see the men coming closer.

"Spasibo," the attendant said, handing back the papers. "Zhelaem Vam priyatnogo puteshestviya." (Have a nice flight)

"Je reçois le siege côté fenêtre," (I get the window seat) Lily announced, not moving.

"Tu pourras t'asseoir lá où jet e dis de s'asseoir," (You'll sit where I tell you to sit) Kirill spat back, shoving her forward by the back of her neck, making her stumble forward before she turned an incredulous frown at him, but he waved her forward, "Bouger!" (Get moving!)

He marched toward her, grabbing her arm again to walk her onto the plane just as the men who'd been following them were stopped because they had the wrong boarding pass. Lily caught sight of the men and looked up at Kirill.

"So _that's_ why you were so rough with me," she muttered and he gave her a split second sideways glance.

"Sorry," he muttered.

"You'll make it up to me," she shrugged and he couldn't help but smirk as they boarded.

* * *

**A/N:** i know, i know. Kirill's gettin a bit OOC, but the way i figure it is he's got all this charm and charisma pent up inside him cause of his chosen occupation, and hardly any women to really test it out on who aren't hookers or sluts. lol! i mean, come on, we gotta let him have a little fun, right? reviews?


	8. Paris, France

**A/N:** sorry this took so long. ok. calm before the storm. fluffiness in full force here...well, as fluffy as you can get with Kirill, i guess. anyway, enjoy!

* * *

_**Chapter 8: Paris, France**_

"How are your injuries?" Lily murmured to Kirill as they headed down the boarding ramp to their gate after getting off the plane in Paris.

"I'm fine," he lied. In reality, his body was screaming in pain, aching from head to two and he was _still_ tense. He wouldn't be relaxed until they were in the apartment he kept there, and perhaps not even then. "We'll need to call a cab."

"I'll take care of that," Lily smiled, slipping her arms around one of his as he'd untied her wrists once on the plane. "_I'll_ be doing all the talking from now on, oui?"

"Da," Kirill nodded, glancing around as they now strolled through the airport. Lily noticed he was on edge and sighed in hopelessness, leaning her head on his arm and closing her eyes to let him lead her.

"I'm tired," she murmured.

"It's jet lag," he blurted, still alert to his surroundings.

"Kirill, we're alright," she smiled, pulling on his arm slightly as she lifted her head to look at him. He looked down at her as she smiled, "Even if they know we're here, it'll take them a while to get here, won't it? They can't get here before us for an ambush unless they have wings themselves, right?"

Kirill smirked and nodded, relaxing only slightly. He was still alert as they headed for the exit, though. They stepped onto the street and he tried hailing a taxi but two passed by without even slowing down.

"Svoloch!" (Bastards!) Kirill spat and Lily giggled, pulling him toward her as he frowned at her.

"Allow moi," she smiled cutely, stepping toward the edge of the curb, peeling off Kirill's sweat jacket and tossing it to him. Spotting a cab she stepped out and waved cutely with a sweet smile and Kirill's eyes widened as the cab pulled over. She glanced over her shoulder cutely at him as she stepped toward the car and he followed.

"Oú?" (Where to?) the cabbie asked as they got in, Kirill setting his sweater on Lily's lap.

Kirill gave the address and Lily went into her pocket for her money. He placed a hand over hers, making her frown up at him but he only shook his head.

"Pay him when we get there," he murmured and she sighed but nodded, pulling her hand from her pocket.

As she pulled her hand out, Kirill took it into his and set their hands on his knee as he gazed out the window. Lily gave a small frown at him but he said nothing as he only stared out the window, holding her hand. She couldn't help but smirk as she looked out of her own window, contented in the comfortable silence that lasted the rest of the ride to Kirill's.

The cab stopped at the address Kirill and given and the two climbed from the car. Lily paid the driver before following Kirill to the front door of the building they'd stopped in front of. The keeper opened the door for them, rattling on in French that he was happy to see the man, that it had been too long since his last visit and that he was happy to see he'd made a new 'friend' since he'd been gone.

"Je vais plutôt rester un peu plus longtemps que d'habitude," (I'll be staying a little longer than usual) Kirill explained as they were heading to the stairs. "Si quelqu'un me demande, je ne suis pas ici." (If anyone asks for me, I'm not here)

"Trés bien, Monsieur," the keeper nodded as Lily and Kirill headed up the stairs.

"God, I can't _wait_ to get to sleep," Lily groaned as they trudged up the stairs then asked, "What time is it?"

"Three o'clock," he replied as they reached the top and stopped at a door.

"Are you _serious_?!" she groaned in disappointment, leaning against the wall as Kirill opened the door and peeked inside before grabbing Lily's wrist and dragging her inside.

She squeaked in surprise when he slammed the door shut and almost shoved her against it to plant his lips to hers. Lily moaned and melted into the kiss as his hands slid to her waist and held her against the door, pressing himself against her. Memories of their first kiss flooded her mind, but she knew this was different. She could feel it in the way his mouth moved slowly and deliberately against hers. There was no urgency of survival in _this_ kiss…it was all passion she could taste on his tongue as it slipped over hers. Her hands moved from his chest to hug him closer, but when she passed over his ribs he gave a groan of pain. She gasped and pulled away from his lips, hitting the back of her head against the door.

"Ow!" she winced, leaning her head forward and rubbing it, neither one of them moving. She looked up at him and couldn't help giggling at the ruined kiss, her laughter making him gave a small chuckle before she said, "Why don't we wait until you're a little bit better before we get rough with the make out sessions, ok?"

"Or, I could work _through_ the pain," he suggested, making her blush but she shook her head.

"You'll only make yourself _worse_," she muttered, gently pushing on his right, uninjured shoulder to move him a step back so she could step around him to the bathroom. "We need to change your bandage on your shoulder."

Lily frowned when she finally got a good look around the apartment. It looked and felt cold. There were no personal touches, pictures…_nothing_ personal. Just furniture and some papers she knew had to be important. Kirill would _never_ keep anything _un_important, she knew that much about him.

"There should be a first aid kit in the bathroom," he called as she headed down the hall and he shuffled toward the couch to flop onto it, only to groan in pain.

"How's your ankle?" she called from the bathroom.

"Not as bad as the rest of me," he replied, and heard her giggle, making him smirk.

At least he could make her laugh, even if he was risking her life by being around her. Closing his eyes he let his head fall back on the head of the couch, listening for Lily's returning footsteps. Hearing her return, he stayed where he was as he felt the couch cushion sink to his left. Only when she pulled on his shoulder did he wince with a frown and sit up again, looking at Lily in pain.

"I could do this s little easier if you were shirtless," she muttered, not really wanting him to hear her as she started to gently pull his jacket sleeve down. Kirill lifted a hand to pull hers from his sleeve, wincing at the pain in his ribs before starting to take off his jacket. "What are you doing?"

"Help me," he ground out against the pain of moving.

Without hesitation she started to help him as he leaned a bit forward to let her slide the jacket from his shoulders. He started pulling up the hem of his shirt and waited for her help but when she didn't give it, he looked up at her with a frown.

"What are you doing?" she frowned back.

"You needed my shirt off, da?" he simply replied. Lily's eyes widened as a blush made her freckles disappear and she lowered her gaze to twiddle her thumbs.

"Y-Yes, but---"

"Well, help me take it off, then," he cut in, trying to pull the shirt up again.

When he growled in pain did she reach for him and helped. She pulled off his right sleeve before carefully pulling his collar over his head as he stared at her. She still blushed as she started pulling his sleeve down, not being able to help glancing at his chest. She blanched when she noticed how sloppily she'd dressed the gunshot wound and he chuckled at her face, making her look back at him with wide eyes.

"What's so funny?" she wondered, but before he answered, he lifted a hand and stroked her cheek with one finger, making her cheeks a deeper shade of red.

"That face you made was…cute," he replied, making her eyes pop again as he lowered his hand.

She stared at him and he glanced at his shoulder, bringing her back to reality. She stared redressing his shoulder, aware that he was staring at her the whole time.

Once she was finished, she looked up at him and asked, "What?"

Kirill stared at her for another moment before glancing down at her sleeves and seeing the dried blood on them, he reached for one and tried tugging it down her arm.

"What---?!"

"Your sweater has blood on it," he cut in. "Take it off."

Lily sighed, but she felt her heart start to pound at hearing him tell her to undress. She pulled the sweater off, but she still had a few more layers underneath. He frowned at her after she tossed the sweater away and she frowned back.

"What?" she shrugged. He took one of her hands and pulled it toward him as she still frowned, but now in wonder as he examined her sleeves.

"Did I bleed that much?" he wondered, frowning at her sleeves and she looked at them with a frown as well.

"Da," she nodded slightly in a mumble. "I guess you did."

Kirill looked up at her as she stared at the blood on her sleeves. He tried to catch her gaze but she only stared at her sleeves and he sat back with a small sigh.

"Ya tak ustal," (I'm so tired) he breathed, finally drawing Lily's attention to him and she stared at him with wide eyes.

"What?" she frowned in wonder and he looked at her.

"I was just saying I was tired," he replied then glanced at her sleeves again. "You should wash your clothes. We'll buy new ones for you later."

"After a nap," Lily smiled in agreement, stripping off her other sweater, then another, and another, until she only wore her pants and a T-shirt as she kicked off her shoes as well. "I promise, I'll clean up later."

Kirill gave a frown as he wondered, "Why would you feel the need to tell me that?"

"Because you were staring at me," she replied.

"I was?" he mumbled, still frowning. He supposed he was as she nodded. It had been a while…a _long_ while since he'd been alone with a woman as she stripped, and he was _very_ sure that if he weren't riddled with bullet holes and suffering from a broken rib at that moment, he would've pounced on her and had his way with her on the couch. He needed to vent out all the stress from the past few days, but his injuries (not to mention Lily's virtue) were standing in his way.

"You should get some rest," Lily murmured through a smile, bringing him back from his thoughts as she stood, still smiling. "The past few days have been crazy."

He swallowed silently when she leaned toward him, her hand reaching for his face and gently setting her finger tips over his eyes to close them.

"I'll wash my clothes and join you in a little while," she whispered to which he responded with a tired grunt, his eyes still shut. Lily gave a small smile and stood tall to gather her clothes, his shirt and sweater and headed down the hall. She had passed the laundry room on her way to the bathroom, so she knew where it was. She quickly loaded the washer and went back into the living room to find Kirill right where she had left him. Smiling she sat on his right this time to set her head gently on his shoulder and close her eyes.

Kirill opened an eye to glance down at her but didn't move as he gave a subtle smirk and closed his eyes fully. He slowly lifted a hand to take one of hers and hold it on his knee, knowing he was being far too sentimental, but not being able to help himself. This girl brought out a different side of him, a side he hadn't been in touch with for a _very_ long time, and he was starting to like it.

"You're unpredictable, Mr. Ivanovich," Lily suddenly murmured, making him frown and look at her with half-crossed eyes as she smiled tiredly up at him. "I didn't think you were the type of guy to hold hands. I'm glad I was wrong."

"I thought you were tired," he replied. "Go to sleep."

"Well, I _can't_ sleep not," she argued playfully, making his frown deepen.

"Why not?"

"Well, for one thing, I'm washing clothes," she replied.

When she didn't continue he urged, "And the second?"

Their gazes met and she gave a blush as she swallowed, glancing down at her lap before muttering, "I-I'd like a kiss."

When she chanced looking up at him, he leaned toward her to place his lips against hers. She gave a small surprised noise before melting and kissing him back. She couldn't believe how much she enjoyed kissing him, and _he_ couldn't believe the same of himself. But he didn't care at the moment, and neither did she as she gave a small grown of disappointment when he pulled away.

"We must sleep," he reminded her, letting his head fall back again and she gave a sigh as she leaned her head on his shoulder again. But even as she wished the kisses could go on forever, she gave a smile at the fact that he was still holding her hand.

* * *

**A/N:** i warned you. lol! reviews?


	9. Moves

**A/N:** sorry this took so long! yay! new chappie! enjoy!

* * *

_**Chapter 9: Moves**_

Lily sighed in contentment as her eyes fluttered open and she smiled when she realized she was still leaning against Kirill's arm, his hand still holding hers. She lifted her head enough to look up at him and her smile widened when she caught him staring down at her as serious as ever.

"I thought you were sleeping," she smiled. "Sleep helps your wounds heal, don't you know?"

"Da," he nodded, slightly. "And I _was_ asleep a moment ago."

"So why are you staring at me?" she wondered, still smiling sweetly as she leaned her chin on his arm again, gently. He gave a tired smirk before letting his head fall back on the head of the couch.

"Potomu chto ty krasivaya," (Because you're beautiful) he sighed and Lily frowned in confusion before nudging him softly to catch his attention.

"What'd you say?" she asked, nodding at him as he looked down at her again and smirked, deviously but said nothing. "Kirill-!"

A crash and glass shattering cut her off, making her scream as someone smashed through the balcony window to their left and Kirill instantly shot to his feet, ignoring his wounds. The assassin drew a gun, cutting away the line he'd used to swing into the window and aimed at Kirill who only marched toward him, Lily curling into a ball on the couch. Kirill slapped the gun away, quickly and used his other hand to punch him in the face, but the assassin quickly recovered and returned the punch, lifting his gun again, but Kirill ducked low and swept a foot at the man's ankles, sending him to the floor.

"Get my gun!" he shouted to Lily and she shot to her feet for his coat as the other man drew his own gun, still on the floor. She threw it to Kirill and he caught it mid-air to point it at the man as well. Guns pointed into each other's faces, they froze, now at a standstill.

Lily shot her wide, emerald, frightened gaze between the men and jumped with a slight gasp when Kirill called, "Come over here and translate."

She gave a frown as she stood, stepping cautiously toward him to stand next to him and ask, "Translate?"

"You speak French, don't you?" he replied, not taking his gun or gaze from the man in front of him. "Translate."

Lily was about to point out that _he_ spoke French as well, but said nothing as she looked to the man pointing the gun at him, then at the gun in his hand. She said nothing as she quickly lifted her foot and kicked the gun out of the man's hand, causing both men to shoot wide-eyed gazes of shock at her.

"Don't look at _me_, you dummy!" she ordered, gripping his chin and turning his face back to look at the man. His shock dissipated and his gun was held a little higher as the man stared up at him.

"Chto ty, chert voz΄mi, i kakogo cherta vam nado?" (Who the hell are you and what the hell do you want?) Kirill growled, but the man frowned in genuine confusion, making the two in front of him frown as well.

Kirill nodded Lily toward him and she tucked a piece of hair behind her ear before looking at the man, imitating Kirill's angry tone as she asked, "Qui êtes-vous et ce que l'enfer que vous voulez?" (Who the hell are you and what the hell do you want?)

The assassin glared at her, then at Kirill but instead of answering, he suddenly began convulsing and flopped back onto the floor, still seizing.

"Shit!" Kirill snarled, shoving his gun into Lily's hand and kneeling next to the convulsing assassin. "Cyanide!"

He gripped the man's chin to look at his face, his mouth foaming with cyanide.

"Propadi ono vse propadom k chertu!" (Damn it all to hell!) he snarled, shoving the man away as he stood tall and suddenly became aware of his pain again. He growled as he stumbled slightly, grabbing his side where his ribs were broken and Lily quickly caught him, trying to pull him toward the couch.

"Kirill, you need to rest!" she insisted, but he shook his head.

"We have to leave," he groaned as she sat him on the couch, carefully. "They know where we are now!"

"They'll _expect_ us to hit pavement," she replied, leaning next to him. "Shouldn't we sit tight for a while?"

"They'll only send someone else," Kirill argued.

"But they've seen us run when they've found out where we are," she reminded him. "They'll only follow us and try to kill us _again_. Let's just stay put and see what happens."

"We can't," Kirill replied, shaking his head. "There's a body here, now. We have to clean it up."

Lily glanced at the body and swallowed, recalling everything that had just happened as she felt the fear she'd experienced through the whole ordeal.

"I'll call François up here to clean it up," he assured her, stretching out his good arm. "Hand me the phone."

Lily nodded and stepped toward the wireless to grab the phone from the base and hand it to him. She sat next to him, not looking at the body on the floor as Kirill dialed the number for the keeper of the building and spoke to him in French. She sighed as she looked up at him just as he hung up the phone and he looked back at her.

"He'll be up here in a few moments," he murmured and she nodded in understanding. "We should _at least_ get out of the apartment."

"Alright," Lily nodded. "Can I get one of my jackets?"

"Da," he nodded. "You can bring my shirt and coat as well."

Lily nodded and gave a small smile as she leaned toward him and pressed a tender kiss to his cheek before asking, "Do we know where we're going?"

"Net," he grumbled, somehow keeping his voice from cracking from the affect of her kiss. "Did you have something in mind?"

Lily bit the corner of her lips in thought as he watched her intently…silently.

"I always wanted to visit the Eifel Tower," she whispered with a grin and Kirill couldn't hold back a smirk.

"Alright," he nodded and both looked to the door when there was a knock before he looked back at her and said, "Go get our things."

She nodded again and helped Kirill up before heading toward the hall and he watched her before limping toward the door to greet François and let him in. The man stared at the body in shock before looking to Kirill who only walked away toward the desk to search through some papers on it.

"Où est votre ami?" (Where is your friend?) he wondered in concern as he glanced around the room.

"Sain et sauf," (Unharmed) Kirill assured him, not looking from the papers. "Vous connaissez le refrain, oui?" (You know the drill, yes?)

"Malheureusement, oui," (Unfortunately, yes) François muttered as he stepped toward the body and Kirill gathered a stack of papers to limp toward the fireplace across the room to toss them in, catching François's attention and making him frown. "Devrais-je demander?" (Should I ask?)

Kirill only shook his head and the older man went to what he was doing just as Lily came back with Kirill's shirt, one of her sweaters in her hands and she grabbed his coat to help him into them.

"Spasibo," he murmured to her and François began dragging the dead man into the hall, Lily ignoring him as she pulled his shirt down completely, placing her hand on his abdomen and making him look down at her with a slight frown.

"How are your injuries?" she whispered, making him give a slight smirk at her concern.

"I think they're starting to heal a little more," he nodded. "We should go."

She gave a slight nod and helped him pull on his coat before they headed toward the door.

* * *

_After dark..._

"When we get up stairs, I want you to stay outside the door and cover me while I make sure no one is inside, da?" Kirill instructed, handing one of his guns to Lily. She nodded, cocking the thing as they stood outside the apartment building, then they both hid the guns in their pockets as they stepped inside the building, greeted once more by François before they started toward the stairs.

"J'ai pris soin de ce 'problème' dans votre appartement, monsieur," (I took care of that 'problem' in your apartment, sir) he assured him, but Kirill and Lily continued walking as he walked with them. "La porte est déverrouillée. Je viens de terminer en place." (The door is unlocked. I've just finished up)

"Merci, François," Kirill replied, and waved him back.

The man stopped at the bottom of the stairs as Kirill and Lily headed up without another word toward the apartment. They both stopped outside the door on either side, drawing their guns and Kirill placed a finger over his lips to silently tell her to remain quiet. She swallowed, but nodded and he could see the fear in her eyes, making his heart clench with slight guilt. He quickly pulled himself away from staring at her and slowly gripped the knob to turn it and with one swift motion he aimed his gun inside and Lily saw him disappear through the door.

She tried to control her quick, panicked breathing as she heard her heart pounding in her ears. Remembering that she was there to cover him, she swiveled her head around, placing her back against the wall next to the door as her emerald eyes shot wide all around the hall. It seemed like an eternity before she jumped with a gap at feeling a hand on her shoulder. She turned to the door to see Kirill standing next to her.

"It's clear in here," he nodded. "You can come in."

Lily smiled in relief and nodded as she pocketed the gun and stepped after Kirill as he led her inside, closing the door behind her.

"Well, today was fun," she scoffed, sighing in contentment when she flopped onto the couch. "Got here ok…had a nice nap…almost got killed…had a nice trip to the Eifel Tower…" She trailed off as he came up next to her and carefully sat on the couch as well. She scooted closer, still smiling and set her head on his shoulder as they sat in the dark. "Thanks for that, by the way."

"Dobro pozhalovat΄," he sighed with a small nod as they both stared at each other, Lily slightly disappointed at the fact that it was too dark to see the gorgeous color of his eyes.

Biting her lip in thought, she decided to take a chance and shifted onto her knees as he frowned at her in wonder.

"Lily-?" he was cut off when she was suddenly straddling his legs and leaning over him, her hands on the head of the couch behind his head as his eyes widened up at her before he sputtered, "W-What are you doing?"

"Trying to get a kiss," she retorted before leaning forward and pressing her lips to his, gently.

Kirill instantly kissed her in return, pent up stress and passion causing him to lift his hands to her hips and grip them firmly to pull her closer. Her eyes shot open for a moment as his tongue thrust into her mouth before she groaned in approval and let her eyes flutter shut again. Her hands slid up his chest and around his neck to smooth her hands through his shortly cut hair, making him groan in return. Lily slowly pulled away for breath and leaned her forehead against his as they both panted, quietly.

"What was the purpose of that, exactly?" he wondered.

"Didn't like it?" Lily smirked, resting her forearms on his shoulders, careful not to put too much pressure on his left shoulder where he was shut.

"I did not say that," he replied in a low, rough tone.

"I did it because I wanted to," she answered. "Kinda like when _you_ attacked _me_ for no reason when we showed up here."

"And the position?"

Lily gave a small frown before looking around then back at him and smiled with a shrug, replying, "Just something new."

"I suggest you prepare yourself," he suddenly suggested, making her frown in wonder.

"For what?" she asked, but instead of answering her, Kirill gripped her waist, ignoring the pain in his injuries easily now, and shifted to pin her down on the couch as she gasped in surprise, her eyes wide as she stared up at him. "Kirill-?"

She was cut off when he planted his lips to hers again and she moaned, melting into the kiss for a moment before he pulled away to trail hot kisses along her jaw and down her neck.

_What the hell?_ she thought to herself. _I'm __not__ that kind of girl! Remind him! Remind him __now__!_

"K-Kirill," she tried, but the need for comfort after being nearly killed for the past two days was too great.

She found herself needing this man she considered her hero. She needed him to hold her, kiss her and make her feel safe and even though being around him was anything _but_ safe, she still felt protected with him. She thought it was strange that she would feel the safest with a former assassin, but if she had to run for her life, who better than to run with someone who could sense danger before it hit?

"Kirill…" she tried again, her eyes shut as his lips remained against her neck, the stubble from his partial beard tickling her and making her smile, slightly. Try as she might, she couldn't bring herself to push him away, and she resigned herself to her feelings, allowing him to continue the way he was.

"If you don't want this to happen, you should stop me now," he breathed, nipping her neck up to her earlobe and making her moan as he nibbled on it. "You were quick to say something when you thought we would end up in the same bed at the club."

"W-Well, that was then…when we were in Moscow," she replied as he lifted his head to look at her and she smirked, jokingly. "We're in _Paris_, now: city of love and romance."

Kirill stared at her in shock for a moment before clearing his throat and making her frown slightly before she caught what she had said and she looked away, knowing she'd end up regretting her next words.

"I…I know if we were to…" she trailed off for a moment before looking back at him and continuing, "It wouldn't mean anything. No strings attached."

"Lily-"

"Don't pretend like that's not what you want, Kirill," she cut in gently. "I know you'd rather just have me without worrying about my feelings, right?"

"Wrong," he nearly snapped, making her eyes widen at him. "I'm not that cruel."

She had no time to even think of what to say before he pressed his lips to hers for a tender kiss, which she couldn't resist returning. He pulled away and carefully sat up as she followed with a frown.

"You can stay in the bed," he permitted. "I'll sleep out here."

"Oh, no you don't," Lily chuckled, shaking her head as she stood, and this time he frowned at her. "You need a bed to reduce the stress on your wounds. Besides, we shared a bed before. I'm not worried."

"But-"

"Hush," she smiled, placing a gentle finger over his lips as his green hazel eyes stared at her through the dark. "You're not gonna win this round. Now let's head to bed."

She smiled the entire time she helped him stand, led him to the bedroom and helped him change out of his clothes until he only wore a pair of pajama bottoms. She helped him into the bed as he watched her the entire time, even as she walked around to the other side of the bed to get in herself.

"You don't want to change into something…more comfortable?" he wondered as she started to get into bed fully clothed. She looked down at herself before looking back at him and he said, "You could wear one of my shirts."

Lily swallowed before nodding and stepped to the dresser as Kirill stared at her for a moment before looking away as she started stripping off her shirt.

He had to admit, he'd hoped she would've let him go farther on the couch, but when she'd said it wouldn't mean anything, that she basically assumed that was what he wanted, he knew he couldn't do it. She needed it to mean something, and he knew by the way she kissed him that all she really wanted was comfort. If he could keep it in his pants long enough, he'd wait until his wounds were healed and they'd spent time together. After everything she'd been through with him, she deserved a night to remember.

He felt the bed sink beside him and turned painfully onto his side to see Lily slipping under the covers, one of his t-shirts covering her as she faced him.

"What?" she asked, flipping her hair before setting her head on the pillow and he only shook his head before lifting an arm and beckoning her closer. She frowned slightly before scooting toward him, and his arm wrapped around her shoulders to pull her against his chest, making her unable to resist smiling in contentment.

She realized, she didn't need him the way she thought she did. She at least wanted this, and she would be fine, every night.

"Spokoĭnoĭ nochĭ, Kirill," she sighed with a smile, and Kirill felt his heart skip a beat at hearing her speak Russian again.

"Spokoĭnoĭ nochĭ, Lily," he breathed as she snuggled closer into him and he knew he couldn't have felt better than he did at that moment, even if he was broken and shot up.

* * *

**A/N:** i know, i know. you're all thinking 'how'd they know he was there? what the hell were those papers he threw in the fire?' all in good time, my lovely fans, all in good time. lol! reviews?


	10. Four Weeks Later

**A/N:** new chappie! yay! enjoy!

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_**Chapter 10: Four Weeks Later**_

Kirill's eyes shot open, lying on his back as he stared at the ceiling of the Paris apartment he'd been in for at least four weeks…with Lily. He wasn't sure what woke him up, but it was something. He looked at the head of brunette hair that lay next to him, the body curled up under the covers as she slept soundly. He had an urge to reach out and stroke her hair, but like with many nights before, he resisted the urge.

_Something_ woke him up, and he was ready to find out what it was. Looking away from Lily, he slowly and now easily sat up to swing his legs over the side of the bed and stood to step toward the door and into the living room. The room was dark, with only the moonlight to illuminate the room as he slowly padded through the room, checking every place someone might hide. He'd left his gun under his pillow, but it didn't matter…he could take care of anyone with his bare hands.

He stepped back to the couch and scanned the room from one spot.

"Kirill?"

He whirled around to face the bedroom door at the sound of the raw, timid voice and saw Lily framed in the doorway, rubbing her eyes tiredly, one of his shirts draping from her slim shoulders all the way down to brush the tops of her knees.

"What's wrong?" she asked, lowering a hand to scratch at her mussed hair.

"Nichego," he shook his head slightly as he began looking around again, making Lily smirk as she stepped toward him and gently placed her hands on his bare chest, making him shoot his gaze to her as she only slide her arms around him, setting her cheek against his chest.

"Eto ne pohozhe nichego," (It doesn't seem like nothing) she murmured.

Kirill closed his eyes, forcing a groan down in his throat at hearing her speak Russian. She'd learned a _lot_ from their lessons over the past few weeks, but he was worried he'd jump her if she spoke too much.

"Kirill?"

His eyes shot open and he looked at her with wide eyes as she frowned up at him.

"I'm fine, dorogoĭ," he murmured as she set her chin on his chest, still looking at him.

"Then come back to bed," she murmured, slipping away from him to take his large hand in two of her smaller ones to pull him toward the bedroom. "It's cold in there."

Kirill allowed her to lead him to the bed and she plopped onto the mattress, bouncing slightly as she let his hand go and patted the mattress to entreat him to sit. It still amazed him how she trusted him, even when _he_ barely trusted _himself_. Night after night he slept next to her, and night after night he _somehow_ kept himself from jumping her, even when she teased him by kissing him so deeply and passionately that his head was spinning before smiling and bidding him good night.

Sighing inwardly he sat then laid back and lifted an arm toward Lily as she sat next to him. Grinning, she laid down into the curve of his body and snuggled close as his arm wrapped around her, pulling the covers over them. Lily sighed as she lifted a hand and traced the scar in his shoulder, where he'd been shot.

"Do you find my scar _that_ interesting?" he smirked and she smiled up at him, smoothing her hand down his chest and driving him almost out of his mind.

"Sort of," she sighed, snuggling her cheek to his chest and hugging him close before yawning, "I've always liked scars. I think they're hot."

_Good God, does she mean to kill me?_ Kirill groaned inwardly.

"You know, this is the _fifth_ time you've gotten up in the middle of the night because of 'nothing'," she observed.

"Something woke me," he explained, slipping both his arms around her. "I had to make sure we were alone."

"They haven't come after us in a while, though," she noticed, shifting to look at him. "Are you still _that_ paranoid?"

"It is not paranoia," he argued, gently.

"Well, what would _you_ call it?" Lily smirked, jokingly.

"You can't be too careful, Lily," he replied. "Someone could strike at any moment."

Lily gave a small shrug before lowering her head to his chest again and they sat in silence for a moment before she breathed, "You're worried it'll be him, aren't you?"

She felt Kirill's hand slightly clench onto her shoulder but said nothing about it.

"It could be _anyone_," he answered, vaguely.

"If he didn't kill you while you were nearly dead, he's not gonna come after you to do it," she theorized. "I'm sure he has better things to do."

"Please, stop talking about Bourne," Kirill sighed in exasperation.

"Alright," Lily consented, before shifting her head, still laying on his chest as he looked down at her. "Mogu li ya poluchit΄ horoshiĭ potseluĭ noch΄?" (Can I get a good night kiss?)

Kirill stifled a growl before planting his lips to hers, making her squeak in surprise, but she melted into the kiss, gladly returning it. His tongue explored her mouth as he moved to roll them and pin her onto the mattress. His mouth had control over her for only a moment before she realized what was about to happen and she hummed into his mouth, warningly.

"Kirill…" she muttered against his mouth as her hands ran to his shoulders to gently push him up. Lost in his passion, he hardly registered that she was trying to stop him before he pulled his mouth away from hers to trail his lips down her jaw and neck. "Kirill…I-I don't know if I can…"

"You don't have to, krasivyĭ," he murmured against her ear, his tone hinting that he was almost pained at the thought of stopping, and she didn't fail to notice it.

"That's a word you haven't taught me yet," she smiled, trying to change the subject. "What'd you say?"

He ran his full lips over her neck in an open-mouthed kiss, making her whimper and move her hands to his head to run her fingers through his hair which had grown out slightly in the past four weeks.

"I…" she breathed and swallowed before she continued, "I guess your injuries are pretty much healed now, huh? I haven't had to wait on you for a week."

"Da," he breathed against her neck before pressing tender kisses to her skin.

"Kirill, why do you do this?" she groaned, making him freeze and look up at her with a frown. "You always tease me then pull away just when I'm ready to give in. I can't take it anymo-"

She cut herself off with a squeak when he captured her lips into a passionate kiss which she instantly melted into, letting her hands thread through his hair again.

"Vy ne predstavlyaete, kak priyatno eti slova zvuk iz ust vashih," (You have no idea how sweet those words sound coming out of your mouth) he groaned against her mouth, making her moan at hearing him speak Russian before she frowned and tried pulling away from his mouth to speak.

"What'd you say?" she breathed as his mouth attacked her neck again, still holding him close by his head. "I only caught a few words, but I…I'm not _that_ good at Russian yet."

"I was just thanking God you said that," he breathed against her ear, making her shudder. "You make me feel the same way."

Lily didn't bother with any more words. Her hands instantly went to Kirill's pants as his began pulling the short she wore over her head, his mouth never leaving hers for the rest of the night.

* * *

_Morning..._

Kirill frowned against the sunlight that poured into the bedroom from the window and turned away to wrap an arm the sleeping body next to him. He reached an arm out but came up empty. His frowned deepened, his eyes still closed as he only felt sheets beneath his hands. Opening one eye he found that he was, in fact, alone in the bed, tangled in the disheveled sheets.

Where was Lily?

He sat up and looked around the room, his heart skipping in panic. What if she hadn't wanted what happened last night and upon realizing that, she'd left? He couldn't understand _that_ conclusion at all, though. He'd been attentive, hadn't he? _He_ certainly thought so.

_She's probably somewhere else in the apartment, moron_, he thought.

That thought spurred him to stand from the bed and quickly find his pants which Lily had nearly torn off of him. He didn't think such a slight woman word be so…_aggressive_. He quickly made his way into the living room.

She wasn't there.

He tried the bathroom next.

Nothing.

Finally he padded toward the kitchen and almost sighed audibly in relief. There she was…trying to manage the stove. She growled and kicked the thing, only to wince and hop toward the dining room table to sit and cradle her foot.

"Ow," she groaned, squeezing her toes in one hand while holding her heel on her knee with the other. Kirill couldn't help but let out a soft chuckle that drew her wide eyed gaze to him as he stepped toward her with a small smirk and she pouted as she muttered, "I thought you were asleep."

"I was," he replied, kneeling in front of her to gently pull her hands from her foot and take it into his own. "I came looking for you when I woke up alone."

"I was _trying_ to surprise you with breakfast in bed," she grumbled, crossing her arms over her chest, the shirt she'd been wearing last night before Kirill had pulled it off of her dangerously close to revealing the place her thighs led to. "I can't work your stupid stove. And I stubbed my toe when I kicked it."

"_This_ toe?" he wondered, gently placing a finger on her big toe and she frowned but nodded before he gave a slight smirk and leaned forward to gently kiss it before he began a trail up her leg, setting her foot down when he reached her knee.

"Kirill…" Lily sighed, letting her eyes flutter shut for a moment before looking down at him and placing a hand on his cheek when he looked back at her as she smiled, "I'm still tired from last night."

Kirill couldn't help the grin of pride that spread over his face before he leaned toward her lips and kissed her passionately, his hands slowly trailing up her leg to slip around her waist _under_ the shirt as he stood on his knees and she smiled, wrapping her arms around his neck, her legs around his waist. He stood effortlessly, taking her with him as he spun around and sat in the chair, never breaking their kiss. Lily moaned when his hands ran up her back to pull her closer before they pulled away for breath, and she turned to leaving kisses against his scruffy jaw line, giggling at the way his partial beard tickled her face.

"You need to shave," she smiled.

"Da," he agreed, breathlessly before he moved his head to start sucking on her neck and making her moan.

"God, your lips are addicting," she sighed, lulling her head to the side to allow him better access to her neck, her hands sliding down his chest as he still held her close. "I could stay like this all day."

"Da," Kirill growled again, thinking that was the best idea she'd ever had since they'd met.

"We need food," she murmured, tracing circles over his smooth chest and making him moan against her neck in arousal.

He suddenly froze, slowly lifting his head to look around the room and making her frown.

"Kirill?" she called gently, but he didn't look at her. "What's wrong?"

"Get in the bedroom," he suddenly ordered firmly, standing and placing her on her feet as he did, still not looking at her.

Lily knew that tone, even though she hadn't heard it in four weeks, she still knew it. Something was going to happen. Without argument Lily turned to hurry into the bedroom only to have her path blocked by a large man in the doorway, making her gasp. Kirill shot his gaze at her and saw the man grab her arm to twist it and pull her back against him. He moved to help her, but the cocking of two guns, one to Lily's head, the other from his left, stopped him. He didn't even move his head, he only turned his gaze to another not-so-large man standing to his left with a gun pointed at him.

"Hello, Kirill," the man with chocolate brown hair and sea-green eyes smirked, evilly.

"Daniel," Kirill ground out as Lily's shuddered breaths were the only other sound in the room besides their talking.

"I'm flattered you remember me," Daniel replied, sarcastically. "I didn't think you _would_ after your little stunt on the San Francisco bridge. I should've put a bullet in you when I had the chance."

"What do you want?" Kirill snarled. Daniel looked around in dramatic thought before his eyes settled on Lily and his devious smirk returned as he looked back at Kirill.

"Your woman," he replied, menacingly. Kirill shot his burning gaze at the other man at that. "And depending on how she does, I might _not_ take both your lives."

"Go to hell, you bastard!" Lily spat, making Kirill look to her with wide eyes. He thought she'd be too afraid to even _breathe_ let alone _speak_. Daniel turned a smirk to her as he scoffed.

"I may just when this is all over," he replied, coolly as he stepped toward her, his partner's hand still clamped to her arm. He leaned toward her ear and Kirill moved to take advantage of the fact that his back was turned but the huge man quickly trained his gun on him, stopping him. "You gave me a good show last night, you naughty little thing. I wanna be _part_ of it now."

"Bite me you jerk," Lily snarled, but inside, she was trembling in more fear than she wanted to express.

"Oh, I will, baby," Daniel murmured, lifting his gun to move some of her hair from her exposed shoulder where her sleeve was being pulled down by the man behind her. He gently kissed her skin, making her blanche as he continued, "Count on it."

"This has nothing to do with her," Kirill snapped, drawing another devious smirk from Daniel as he stood tall and turned to the other man. "Leave her out of this."

"Wish I could," Daniel sighed with a shrug and a shake of his head. "But seeing as there's a reward on the _both_ of you, that'll be hard to do."

"What are you blabbing about you son of a bitch?" Lily snapped, but Kirill didn't react, making Daniel smirk a little wider.

"What, sugar? He didn't tell you?" he wondered before turning to her again. "Your Russian Tartlet here was offered his job back." Lily's eyes shot wide to Kirill as Daniel continued, "You would've been safe from harm if he took the offer, and he was told there'd be a man hunt for the _both_ of you if he didn't take it. But, he decided _not_ to, as you can probably tell." He looked back at Lily's wide eyes that were on Kirill and said, "You wouldn't be here if he had just taken his job back."

Lily swallowed, her eyes shrinking down to normal size as she looked back at Daniel and ground out, "If you touch me, he's going to _kill_ you."

"Can't do that when you're all tied up," Daniel shrugged and nodded to the man behind her who shoved her at Daniel and marched toward Kirill.

"No-!"

Lily struggled to be free of Daniel's grip but he was too strong and all she could do was tug and pull on her arm to free herself as she watched Kirill being shoved and tied to the chair with duct tape, tears filling her eyes.

"I like fight in my girls, but you better not be this fidgety when I get you on your back in there," Daniel complained, nodding toward the bedroom, and that made her struggle harder as the huge man stepped away from Kirill. "He _securely_ bound?"

The man only nodded, to which Daniel nodded back before turning and pulling a still struggling Lily toward the bedroom.

Kirill found a sharp edge in the design of the chair he was bound to and quickly started filing the duct tape around his wrists against it, watching the other man find a seat and sit himself, his gun aimed at Kirill. He didn't notice the movement behind him, and Kirill was supremely glad of that. As much as he wanted to fume right now, he had to keep his head and think clearly to get out of this and rescue Lily.

A scream from the bedroom quickened Kirill's work on the tape as the other man looked toward the doorway Daniel had disappeared through, his gun lowering a bit. Kirill thought of how he could get the tape around his chest and shoulders off when there was another scream and he clenched his fists so tight, he was sure his nails would draw blood from his palms.

The tape was filed down to the point where he was able to pull his wrists apart enough so that it would snap. It worked and he glanced at the man next to him who was still staring at the door way before slowly bringing one hand around to slip into his pants pocket where he kept a Swiss Army knife. Once he found it, and slowly pulled it out, he knew he'd have to be quick. Flipping the knife out he played the actions in his head once, trying to ignore the sound of Lily screaming and struggling to be free of Daniel in the bedroom.

He counted down from three before bring the knife up and cutting the tape which drew his captor's attention and made him lift his gun to aim. He was too slow to pull the trigger before Kirill whirled the tape from off of him and tackled the man to the floor, stabbing him in the gut and shocking him with the action so that he was able to slit his throat.

Kirill stood and was about to run to the bedroom when a sound stopped his feet and his heart.

A single gunshot.

* * *

**A/N:** i wrote this at two in the morning, and i think it came out pretty well...not to mention my cute little twist there. lol! reviews?


	11. I Don't Care

**A/N:** bet you're all wondering what the hell happened, right? here it is! enjoy!

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_**Chapter 11: I Don't Care**_

"Like I said, I like fight in my girls…" Daniel strained against a struggling Lily as he dragged her into the bedroom, his gun still trained on her. He flung her onto the bed and she landed on her back with a grunt before he climbed on top of her, meeting her gaze to snarl, "But you'd better stop struggling or you're only gonna hurt yourself."

He grabbed a handful of her hair and pulled her head back to expose her neck as she let out a scream of pain before his mouth connected with hers, making her fight all the more and try to shove him off of her. He jammed the gun into her gut, making her grunt again but that only made her bite onto his tongue as it entered her mouth. Daniel gave a growl of pain as he yanked his face from hers, standing on his knees as he straddled her and she tried to sit up to scramble away.

"Damn, squirrelly bitch!" he snarled with a slight impediment in his speech from the bite before he lifted his free hand and back-handed her across the face.

She let out another scream before she spun around and hit the pillow face first, one of her hands moving under the pillow and she gave a small gasp as her eyes shot wide. He grabbed a handful of her hair, making her wince as he pulled back on her hair, angling her so that he was lying on top of her as she lay flat on the mattress and he slid the gun under her shoulder so that it sat next to her head on the pillow, still in his hand so that she could see his finger on the trigger.

"If you stop struggling, you _might_ actually enjoy this," he murmured into her hair before nuzzling the back of her neck and she whimpered before nodding, making him grin deviously. "Good. Now that I know you won't struggle anymore…"

Daniel pulled the gun back and tossed it to the floor, Lily eyeing it but staying still as she kept her hand under the pillow and felt him shift to stand on his knees again. She sucked in a breath when she heard him shuffling with his pants and knew it was now or never. She gave a scream of rage as she shoved herself up and swung her hand out from under the pillow…Kirill's gun in hand as she aimed it at him and he froze with wide eyes as she breathed heavily.

His eyes narrowed as he gave a smirk and scoffed, "You don't have the guts to shoot me, sugar."

"Wanna bet?" she ground out, the hand holding the gun shaking slightly.

"I'd bet my _life_," he smirked confidently, and Lily's expression darkened as she lifted her gun to his head…right between his now wide, sea-green eyes.

"You're about to _lose_ that bet."

He moved slightly to get away, but her finger on the trigger was faster and the shot made her jump with a start as she gasped. His body fell on top of her, shoving her back on the bed as she let her arm fall outstretched to her side, still holding the gun, her eyes wide and staring at the ceiling as she lay under Daniel's lifeless body, looking lifeless herself.

"Lily!"

Kirill's voice seemed so far away, and she hardly registered that he was calling her name as she could almost _feel_ the blood draining from her face. She ignored Daniel's blood pooling onto the pillow next to her head and into her hair, and she felt her hands going cold and clammy before she saw Kirill lean over the body to see her face, but she didn't truly see him. She felt like she was sure she was dreaming.

Kirill pulled Daniel's body off of Lily and onto the floor before he leaned over her as she still didn't move.

"Lily," he whispered then looked to the gun she was holding and slid it from her hand to set it on the stand next to the bed before turning back to Lily and looking into her eyes. He knew she was in shock, but he also knew they had to get out of there as soon as possible, and he really didn't have time to baby her.

He gripped one of her hands and sat her up to pull her into his arms and walk her toward the shower. He had to wash the blood off of her, _and_ himself before they could start running again. She still didn't register what was happening as he set her on the shower floor, kneeling in front of her to strip off the shirt she wore before reaching up to turn the water on. As the water warmed, he pulled her up by her hands to her feet and held her close as she stood, limply in his arms.

"Vy dolzhny otdelat΄sya ot etoĭ," (You need to snap out of this) Kirill whispered as he grabbed the soap and began scrubbing the blood from her hair and face.

She suddenly shuddered, making him freeze and look to her head as she buried her face into his shoulder, her hands on his back and hugging him closer.

"He didn't think I'd do it," she breathed, making him sigh before he began scrubbing her down again, holding her a little closer. "_I_ didn't think I'd do it."

"You did what needed to be done," he assured her, focusing on what he was doing as well. "If you had not killed him, _he_ would have killed _us_."

"Even if you say that, it doesn't change how I feel about what I've done," she shuddered again, tears welling in her eyes. "That's the _second_ time I've killed someone." She lifted her head and stared her emerald eyes into his hazel-greens as he frowned down at her. "How do you deal with this? How do you not let the things you've done haunt you?"

Kirill stared into her eyes as she waited for an answer, something to ease her guilt for what she had done. He couldn't lie to her, no matter how much he wanted to, he couldn't. She would know he was lying if he tried it.

"You don't," he replied in a raw voice. "You accept that you've done what needed to be done, and whether or not you can live with that determines whether or not it haunts you. I'm haunted by some decisions I've made and things I've done. Dragging you into this with me being one of them."

"What do you mean?" she frowned up at him, pushing away slightly.

"You shouldn't be living like this, Lily," he replied. "Constantly looking over your shoulder as you run for your life isn't an ideal lifestyle."

"No, but I had plenty of chances to leave, and I didn't," she reminded him, matter-of-factly as she looked over and took the soap from his hand to start scrubbing the blood she found on him. "Doesn't that tell you something?"

"Chto vy s uma soshli," (That you are out of your mind) he muttered and she gave him a glare.

"Mozhet byt΄, ya," (Maybe I am) she shot back, making him look down at her in disbelief. "No mne vse ravno." (But I don't care)

"Net?"

"Net."

"Pochemu by net?" (Why not?)

Lily turned back to scrubbing the blood from his chest then took one of his hands and scrubbed it when she noticed the blood still on it.

"Potomu chto…" (Because…) she trailed off with a sigh, tracing his long fingers lazily with hers. "Because it doesn't bother me anymore. As long as I'm with you, I know I'll be safe." She finally looked up at him with a sweet smile before admitting, "I feel safe with you."

Kirill said nothing as she turned back to scrubbing him down. He felt guilt clench his heart at the fact that he'd brought her into all this. He knew from the start he should have left her at her apartment, but something had compelled him to bring her along. He wasn't sure what or why, but they were here now, and it was no use dwelling on the past. He glanced at her as she reached for the hem of his pants and he pulled her hands away, making her look up at him with a frown.

"Go get dried off and dressed," he instructed firmly, taking the soap from her. "Get some of the things you'll need together and call the front desk. Tell François we made another mess. He'll know what that means and what to do. Ponyal?"

"Da," Lily nodded without argument and swallowed before standing on her tip toes and pressing a tender kiss to his lips before pulling away and stepping from the shower, grabbing a towel on the way out.

Kirill gave a sigh of relief as she walked out of the room. The combination of her drenched body against him with Russian rolling off her tongue was getting to be too much. It showed when he pulled off his pants to scrub the rest of himself off before stepping out and drying off to change.

"Kirill," she called, standing at the doorway of the bedroom, fully dressed as he pulled on a shirt. "I tried the front desk. He's not picking up."

"Damn," he growled, leaning over to pull on his shoes. "Get ready to go now."

Lily nodded and hurried back out of the room as Kirill grabbed his coat and his gun, making sure it was loaded before he jammed it into his pocket. He picked up the gun Daniel had been carrying as well and stepped out of the room and down the hall to the living room where he saw Lily standing at the front door, facing away from the other body lying in the middle of the room. He stepped up next to her and took one of her hands, pressing the gun into it as she looked at him with wide eyes.

"In case we're separated," he explained and she nodded before he instructed, "Listen. Whatever we find out there, whatever happens when we walk out this door, I want you to stay calm and stay by my side."

She gave a mute nod and slid her hand into his as she adjusted the small bag over her shoulder and he gave the same small nod before opening the door.

Heading down the stairs, Lily noticed it was quieter than usual. On any other day, especially the weekends, the building was bustling with people going in and out, and if it wasn't, François would sometimes play one of his old records for some ambiance. She heard _nothing_ now, and as they reached the last step she realized why. She gripped Kirill's hand firmly when her eyes landed on the front desk, where the older man usually sat, only to see his body leaned back in his chair, head lulled back with a bullet through his head.

"Don't look," Kirill instructed, his gaze trained on the door and Lily swallowed the lump forming in her throat as she did what she was told.

He opened the door and let her go first, but she didn't let go of his hand as they stepped out of the building and into the Paris streets. Kirill hailed a cab as Lily clung to his other arm, her emerald gaze shooting around the streets, nervously. A cab pulled up and he ushered her inside before climbing in himself and telling the cabby where to take them.

"Hôtel de Reims."

"Oui, monsieur," the cabby nodded and pulled into traffic.

"Kirill-"

"We don't have a choice," he cut in, sitting back and looking out his window. "We'll stay there for a few nights, and then-"

"I wasn't going to talk about the hotel," Lily interrupted, making him shoot his gaze to her. "I want to talk about what Daniel said."

"Daniel said a lot of things," Kirill grumbled.

"I'm referring to what he said about Gretkov offering you your job back," Lily shot back and Kirill sneered looking out his window again. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"You didn't need to know," he replied, simply. "If I had accepted, then it would have made a difference. We wouldn't have been running anymore. But I refused, so it wouldn't have made a difference in the situation we're in anyway." He looked to Lily as she glared at him and guessed, "You're thinking I should have accepted the offer, da?"

"Net," she snapped, making his eyes widen slightly at her. "I'm glad you didn't accept the offer. It was killing you just _talking_ about the things you did for that man, and I can't stand to see you like that."

Kirill said nothing as he stared at her before she leaned toward him and snuggled against his chest.

"Just tell me next time, ok?" she sighed. "I hate being in the dark like that. You know he was totally playing on the fact that you hadn't told me."

"Kto?" (Who?)

"Daniel. He saw it as a sign that we didn't trust each other. That's why he thought of trying to-"

"Don't say it."

"But it's true. You know that, don't you?"

"Da, I know. Now stop talking about it."

Lily smirked mischievously as she shifted her head on his chest to look up at him and he frowned down at her as she murmured, "You're just upset 'cause _I_ thought of it before _you_ did, aren't you?"

Kirill's eyes narrowed at her and she only giggled before shifting her head back to tuck her head under his chin and he couldn't help but smirk as he slid an arm around her to pull her a little closer. He couldn't stay annoyed with her, even when he had a right to be annoyed, he never could keep it up long. She was too adorable, and he knew it was going to come back to bite him in the ass one day, but he didn't care. Seeing her giggle and smile would be worth all of it.

"So, a few nights at a hotel, huh?" she guessed, drawing him out of his thoughts.

"Da?"

"Togda chto?" (Then what?)

Kirill gave a sigh before looking out his window in thought again.

"Ya ne znayu," (I don't know) he admitted.

"Vy chto-nibud΄ pridumaem," (You'll think of something) she smiled, confidently as she snuggled into him a little more and sighed, "Vy vsegda delat΄." (You always do)

"Da," he replied, roughly.

_Her Russian is getting too good_, he thought, staring out the window and shifting in his seat a bit. _I won't be able to hold myself back if she keeps that up_. He smirked as remembered the night before and shrugged inwardly. _Then again, I doubt she'd mind now._

"Kirill?"

"Da?"

"What does 'krasivyĭ' mean?" she asked, timidly and he looked down at her with a frown before she explained, "You called me that last night, but you didn't tell me what it meant."

Kirill's smirk returned as he leaned toward her face and pressed a kiss to her cheek, trailing his lips to her ear and nibbling at her earlobe, making her giggle.

"It's the Russian word for beautiful," she whispered and she blushed as he pulled away to smile warmly at her.

"D-Da?"

"Da."

"Oh."

Lily bit lightly on her lower lip, causing his gaze to fall to her mouth and he leaned toward her just as she released it to press his lips against hers. She eagerly returned the kiss, pulling him closer as she felt tears pricking her eyes. After everything that had happened that morning, she needed him to take her away from reality, even if it was for a moment. Feeling her need through the kiss, Kirill pulled her closer, wrapping both arms around her to keep her against him as his tongue delved into her mouth, making her moan.

It lasted for a few more moment before the taxi came to a stop and Kirill reluctantly pulled away from her mouth to rummage through his pocket for money to pay the fare. They both climbed out of the car and Kirill took her hand in his as they entered the hotel.

"You can speak for us, da?" he murmured into her ear as he pulled his hand from hers and slung his arm over her shoulder and she nodded with a sweet smile as they reached the desk.

"Bonjour," the female clerk greeted, to which Lily responded. "Puis-je vous aider?" (May I help you?)

"Nous aimerions une chambre pour deux, s'il vous plait," (We'd like one room for two, please) Lily smiled.

"Tout bagage?" (Any luggage?)

"Non," Lily replied with a slight shake of her head and the clerk looked at them as Kirill only looked around the hotel, always on guard. Lily frowned as the clerk suddenly straightened, almost glaring at them. "Nous ne sommes pas ce genre d'établissement, mademoiselle. Prenez vos affaires ailleurs." (We are not that sort of establishment, miss. Take your business elsewhere)

The caught Kirill's attention as well, and he shot a frown to the woman as Lily rolled her eyes in exasperation.

"Chto ona govorit?" (What is she talking about?) he asked, turning his frown to Lily.

"She thinks I'm a whore," she replied and he nodded in realization, looking away again and Lily gave a silent gasp at his nonchalance before punching him lightly in the stomach. He gave a grunt and leaned over slightly a she turned back to the clerk who was frowning at them in utter confusion.

"Excusez-moi, mais je crains que vous vous trompez," (Excuse me, but I'm afraid you're mistaken) she smiled, politely to the still glaring woman, then gestured to Kirill who was still gazing around the hotel but shot his gaze to her when she said, "Ceci est mon mari. (This is my husband)

"Nous avons decide de prendre des vacances de dernière minute, nous n'avons donc pas porter las bagages avec nous. Nous ne savons pas combine de temps nous allons rester, que ce soit, je le crains." (We decided to take a last minute vacation, so we didn't bring any luggage with us. We aren't sure how long we're staying, either, I'm afraid)

The clerk's face flushed a bright red with embarrassment as Lily only held her head high and Kirill couldn't stop staring at her in disbelief. She'd lied to the woman in front of her as if it were nothing…and _convincingly_, too. That was what scared him the most about that whole scene.

"Mes excuses, Madame," the clerk murmured, almost _whispered_, and Kirill shot his wide-eyed gaze to the clerk as she turned to her computer, his mouth slightly agape. "J'ai une chambre disponible sur le troisième étage." (I have one room available on the third floor)

"Très bien," Lily nodded then turned to Kirill with a sweet smile. "C'est bien, n'est-ce pas, ma chère?" (That's alright, isn't it, dear?)

"O-Oui," he muttered before turning away from her gaze as she giggled and set her head on his shoulder.

The clerk handed Lily two keycards, still flush with embarrassment and Lily thanked her before leading Kirill by the hand and toward the elevator. Once inside she sighed and looked up at him with a smile.

"You're awfully quiet," she observed. "Thinking?"

"Da," he nodded.

"What are you thinking about?"

"The fact that you lied very _easily_ to that girl."

"Well, we couldn't have her thinking I was a _whore_, could we?"

"What difference would it have made?"

"Kirill!"

She wound up to punch him again but he caught her wrist and she looked up at him in wide-eyed wonder.

"Ostanovit΄," (Stop that) he said, firmly. "I'm not your…how do you say? 'Punching bag'."

"Well stop making being mistaken for a whore no big deal and maybe I won't _make_ you my 'punching bag'," Lily snapped, yanking her hand away from his grip as the elevator doors opened to their floor and she stomped down the hall as he followed her with a sigh. She found their room and let herself in, leaving the door open for him and he followed her, closing it behind him.

"Liliya," he called as she marched toward the bedroom.

"Don't 'Liliya' me!" she snapped as he approached the door where she'd turned to glare at him, and she went to slam the door in his face, but he caught it and stepped in front of her, just one inch away as he gazed down at her with intense hazel-green eyes.

"Vy tak preskrasny, Liliya," (You are so beautiful, Liliya) he murmured, lifting his hands to settle them on her waist and she set her jaw as she glared him, but he only pulled her close to close the gap between them.

"Don't," she warned, but he only smirked. He'd won her over already, no matter how mad she _acted_.

"Ya ne mogu soprotivlyat΄sya vam," (I can't resist you) he murmured again, his hands trailing down to her legs as his face inched toward hers. "Ya, chtoby vy." (I have to have you)

"Kirill-"

She was cut off by his mouth capturing hers and she melted against him, her arms sliding around his neck as he leaned forward slightly to lift her off the ground by her thighs and help her wrap her legs around his waist. He turned to gently set her back against the bedroom door still in their lip lock before she pulled away to breathe.

"Damn you," she ground out as his mouth rained kisses to her neck. "You _know_ I can't resist it when you speak Russian, you jerk."

"Da," he smiled against her neck and she growled in irritation before he pressed his mouth to hers again.

* * *

**A/N:** yeah, i couldn't help it. there it is. lol! reviews?


	12. Chaos After Calm

**A/N:** oh my gosh! I'm so mean! i had this done and i hadn't posted it! shame on me! well, here's the new chappie! enjoy!

* * *

_**Chapter 12: Chaos After Calm**_

Tangled in the sheets, Kirill's arm snaked around Lily's waist as he pulled her toward him, burying his face into her mess of brown hair as they both snuggled deeper into the pillow they were sharing. Lily smiled as she felt his breath tickle the back of her neck and she lifted a leg to hook her foot around his calf and rub it, soothingly.

"Dobroe utro, lyubovnika," (Good morning, lover) he murmured against the nape of her neck, making her giggle.

"Dobroe utro ty, milyĭ mal΄chik," (Good morning to you too, sweet boy) she moaned before feeling him shift then rolling onto her back as he leaned over her, supported on one arm. Neither one of them said anything else as Kirill lifted his free hand to stroke a few strands of hair from her face and she raised a hand to his cheek to glide her finger tips down his neck, slowly. After a few moments of staring, he finally broke their silence.

"You know I have to take care of this, da?" he murmured and Lily's slight smile dropped as she started to chew on her lower lip, their gazes never wavering.

"Da," she sighed with a small nod before asking, "What are you gonna do?"

Kirill scanned her face for a moment, his hand moving to her face to set his palm on her cheek and stroke his thumb softly over her lower lip. He knew she would go along with any plan he might suggest, as long as _she_ had a part to play. She wouldn't let him go in alone, but he'd have to convince her this time. She'd almost been severely hurt a few times already, he was _not_ about to let that happen again if he could help it.

"I'm not sure yet," he finally replied. "But when I figure it out, I want you to promise me that you'll do whatever I tell you, no matter what it is, ponimaete?"

Lily gave a slight frown but nodded and Kirill gave a short nod as well before leaning forward and pressing his lips to hers in a soft, slow kiss, her chin set in the palm of the hand that had been on her cheek. She gave a moan and threaded one hand through his hair as one leg coiled around one of his.

A knock on the door made them both freeze and Kirill slid the hand supporting him under the pillow to feel the cold metal of his gun before nodding to Lily.

"Qui est là?" (Who is it?) she called, neither one moving.

"Room Service," a man called on the other side of the door, making them both frown slightly at each other.

"Did you call room service?" Kirill asked and Lily shook her head. "Get dressed."

Lily nodded but before she moved she called, "Juste un instant."

Kirill climbed off of her to let her climb out of the bed to hurriedly get dressed as he held onto his gun.

"How'd they find us so fast?" Lily hissed, pulling on her pants.

"It doesn't matter," Kirill replied, pulling on his coat and grabbing her shoes and hurrying toward her to grip her arm and drag her into a corner. He shoved her shoes into her hands and ordered, "Stay here."

Lily suddenly stared at the doorway, and Kirill frowned for a split second at her wide-eyed look of terror but instantly turned, aiming his gun at the door. His aim faltered slightly when he met with a face he hadn't expected, and feared the most.

"I'm not armed," Bourne instantly assured him, lifting his hands at his head. Lily glanced between the two as Kirill took his gun in both hands and aimed definitely at the other man, but she frowned at him as his hands shook only slightly.

"You don't _need_ to be armed," Kirill almost shuddered, though his expression was stoic, and Lily couldn't understand his reaction or his hesitation. He'd easily taken out the other men that had been after them, what made _this_ man different?

"I'm not here to kill you," Bourne continued, not moving and keeping his hands up. "I'm here to _help_ you."

"_Help_?" Kirill snapped back, mockingly and Bourne only gave a mute nod. "What _help_ could you possibly offer?"

"Gretkov's out," Bourne explained, making Kirill lower his gun only slightly as his eyes widened slightly. "He's got men after you, right? I can take Lily somewhere safe-"

"How do you know my name?" Lily breathed, and to her surprise, the man she _thought_ to be an assassin smiled warmly at her, making her frown.

"I've found out a lot about you in the past week," he replied before looking back at Kirill. "I can take her somewhere safe while we take care of your problem."

"_We_?" Kirill repeated, training his gun on Bourne again. "What '_we'_?"

"I can help you, but what you do or _don't_ do to him is your decision, not mine," Bourne replied. "You know the only way to take care of this is to confront Gretkov."

The three were silent as Lily shot her gaze to Kirill's back, his gun still trained on Bourne as the former Treadstone Asset only stared at Kirill, lowering his hands. You could cut the tension with a knife as Kirill stared a burning, green-hazel glare into Bourne's ice blue determined one. The Russian finally lowered his gun as Lily frowned in wonder and couldn't hold in her curiosity in any longer.

"Kirill, who _is_ this guy?" she snapped, tired of being left in the dark.

"Jason Bourne," Kirill replied, not looking at her as she gave a gasp as she looked back at Bourne then to Kirill with a frown as he said, "Where is this place you will keep her safe?"

"Kirill-?" Lily was cut off when he lifted a hand to silence her.

"Back in Moscow," Bourne replied. "Not far from the central hub. It's underground."

Kirill nodded before asking, "There are men waiting for us outside?"

"In the lobby," Bourne nodded, and Kirill turned to Lily as she pulled on her shoes.

"Vy znaete, bur," (You know the drill) he nodded and she returned the gesture, mutely before stepping toward him and taking his hand in hers as he faced Bourne again. "Let's go."

"We'll go out the fire escape," Bourne informed them as he headed out of the room, Kirill dragging Lily behind him as he followed.

* * *

_Evening..._

"Well, it was fun while it lasted," Lily sighed as she and Kirill sat in a Paris restaurant waiting for Bourne to return from…whatever he was doing, he hadn't told them what.

Kirill shot his gaze to her with a frown and asked, "Chto?"

"Our 'vacation'," she muttered, crossing her arms and sitting back in her chair. "Now we're back to this."

Kirill said nothing for a moment as he resumed looking around the restaurant, his expression blank again before he muttered, "You could have stayed in the hotel room."

"And have those jerks that were heading up kill me? No thanks," Lily shot back then smirked, "Besides, you like me too much. Without me you'd just have Bourne to keep you warm at night."

That shot his gaze back at her with a glare as she sat up and forward to lean on the table between them.

"Something I said?"

He only glared at her, saying nothing as she gave a small smirk.

"Trying to set me on fire with that burning stare of yours?" she smirked but Kirill leaned over, faster than lightening and gripped her wrist, making her gasp in surprise, her emerald eyes wide in shock as she stared at him.

"I gave you the choice back in Moscow to come with me or stay there," he reminded her through gritted teeth. "I told you this was how it was going to be and _you_ seemed fine with this. What has changed?"

Lily swallowed as she still stared at him, saying nothing. The truth was her feelings on following him hadn't changed, it was her outlook on it. She'd accepted the fact that they'd be running in the beginning, but after four whole weeks of peace, she'd wondered if they were finally able to relax, maybe work on this relationship…or whatever this bond they had was. What had changed? The answer came to her instantly: Her feelings for the man in front of her.

"Nothing," she finally breathed, tugging her wrist in his grip, but he didn't let go. "Nothing's changed, Kirill. I feel the same way as I did then. I want to-"

She cut herself short and pulled back slightly, but he still didn't let her go as his glare turned to a frown when she looked away from him.

"You want to, what?" he asked, sincerely interested in what she was trying _not_ to say. Her gaze flicked to his for a moment before she tried pulling her wrist from his grip again and he finally let go, allowing her to sit back and gaze at her lap as she rubbed the wrist he'd been holding in a tight grip and he urged, "You want to _what_, Liliya?"

Lily groaned in hopelessness, looking farther away from him. She couldn't resist him when he called her that. There was just no way around it. It was the same thing when he spoke Russian to her. His voice always hit her like a hammer, and it was all the harder when he did either one of those things.

"I _want_ to be with you, Kirill," she finally replied irritably, not looking at his wide-eyed reaction. "I just thought…we'd have _more_ than four weeks of calm. I guess it was just wishful thinking."

"Liliya-"

"Alright, everything's set," Bourne suddenly stepped next to the table and glanced between the two as Lily kept her gaze in her lap and Kirill only stared at her. "Our flight is in a few hours." He looked to Lily who slowly lifted her gaze to his and he said, "You might wanna cover your hair with your hood until you can dye and cut it."

Her eyes widened and her jaw dropped in shock as she turned her gaze to Kirill just as the men looked to each other.

"Let's go," Bourne instructed and started for the door as Kirill stood as well, stepping over to take Lily's hand and pull her to her feet.

"He's not _serious_, is he?" she hissed as he hurried after Bourne with her in tow. "Just like that he expects me to change my appearance? What if I _like_ my hair the way it is? What if I've _just_ gotten it the way I want it?"

"Have you?" Kirill asked just as they stepped into the Parisian streets.

"No," she admitted out of the corner of her mouth. "But _he_ doesn't know that."

Kirill couldn't help but scoff with a small smirk as they met Bourne at a waiting taxi. They all piled in, Bourne sitting in the front and he told the driver where to take them as Kirill and Lily adjusted in the back.

"We could stop at a hair salon, if you're so worried about it," Kirill quipped, and Lily shot a glare at him, making his smirk widen. "Now _you_ are trying to set _me_ on fire with your gaze?"

"It's not about the _hair_," she snapped before gazing out the window as the cab started moving and she muttered, "It's the _principle_ of the thing."

Kirill gave a sigh and glanced to Bourne, making sure he wasn't watching as he lifted a hand toward Lily and moved some of her loose hair from her shoulder, leaning over as he did to whisper into her ear, "Ya dumayu, budet vyglyadet΄ krasivoĭ s korotkimi volosami, lyubovnik." (I think you would look beautiful with short hair, lover)

Lily gave a soft groan, closing her eyes before she turned her face to meet his gaze, her nose brushing against his as she realized his chest was pressing onto her back, his other hand snaking around her waist. Their lips were close to each other's. So close that she had the urge to kiss him, but she was still irritated with him _and_ Bourne. She would _not_ let the temptation get the better of her. He was trying to get her into a better humor so that she wouldn't bite his head off, and she knew it. She couldn't let him control her…and yet, he _was_.

"Mogu li ya imet΄ potseluĭ?" (May I have a kiss?) he whispered against her lips and she was done.

She only nodded mutely, closing her eyes again just as his lips met hers and she sighed softly into his mouth. After a brief but satisfying session of Tonsil Hockey, Kirill pulled away for breath and Lily's eyes remained shut as the kiss seemed to go on for a moment before she finally opened her eyes to meet Kirill's gaze again.

"I wish we could have had peace for a while longer," he admitted to her in a whisper. "I was enjoying our game of…how you say? 'Playing house,' da?"

Lily giggled slightly before nodding, "Da."

He nodded and continued, "I'm sorry we must do this again, Liliya. I didn't want this for either of us."

Lily's slight smile dropped as her eyes widened in surprise before she sputtered, "I-It's not really your fault, Kirill. What I said back at the restaurant…I know you can't help it if these guys come after you."

"But Daniel-"

"Don't _even_ think that was your fault," she cut him off, making him frown slightly. "They caught us off guard."

"But I didn't protect you," he replied softly, making Lily's eyes widen a little more at him. "I was supposed to protect you, and instead I got tied to a chair."

"Kirill, stop it," she whispered, pressing her fingertips to his lips, gently. "There's nothing to forgive, but if I told you I forgive you for being tied to the chair, will you stop blaming yourself for that?"

Kirill said nothing for a moment as they only stared at each other, and guilt began to pull at his heart when he saw the tears in her eyes. Her hand fell from his face, but he caught it before it fell away completely and pulled it back to kiss the back of her fingers, his eyes shut tight making Lily give a slight frown before he lowered her hand again and shifted closer.

"Ne plach΄, lyubovnika," (Don't cry, lover) he murmured, making her smile, weakly before she held up a piece of her hair between them

"You think I'd look good with black hair?" she wondered, showing that she was coming around from being angry about it.

Kirill smiled and leaned toward her to nearly growl, "Velikolepnyĭ." (Gorgeous)

* * *

_Airport..._

"Chto s nyeĭ tak dolgo?" (What is taking her so long?) Kirill nearly snarled as he paced in front of Bourne where they stood in front of the airport entrance.

"I told you not to let her go by herself," Bourne reminded, calmly.

"She _insisted_," Kirill muttered, still pacing.

"I noticed…'milyĭ mal΄chik'," Bourne couldn't help but smirk, making Kirill stop to glare at him. "Does she _always_ get her way when she calls you that?"

Kirill's opened his mouth to reply, but another voice sounded instead.

"_Almost_ always."

The two men looked behind Kirill as a woman with bright emerald eyes and straight, short black-as-night hair that brushed her jaw came up next to him. Kirill continued to stare at her as Lily smiled sweetly at him while slipping her hands around his arm.

"Sorry I'm late," she smiled. "Finding inconspicuous and warm clothes was harder than I thought."

"Our flight leaves in a half hour," Bourne reported, handing the two their tickets. "I was able to get your seats together. I'll meet you at the gate when we get to Moscow."

"Da," Kirill muttered, still staring at her and not seeing Bourne handing him his ticket. Lily glanced between his face and the ticket before taking it from Bourne.

"Thanks," she smiled before looking to Kirill again and tapping his nose with the papers in her hand and sang, "Earth to Kirill? Anybody up there? We gotta get back to Moscow, and we can't do that with your feet nailed to the ground and your _eyes_ glued to _me_."

Kirill jerked back when she tapped his nose and rubbed it when it itched, making Lily giggle before she pulled him toward the entrance, Bourne leading the way. None of the three said anything as they made their way through the airport, Kirill glancing at Lily and around at their surroundings. He knew he'd feel it if anyone was watching them, he knew _Bourne_ would feel it too…so he could pay more attention to Lily's make-over.

With her hair dyed black, her skin looked paler, which defined her freckles even more than her brunette look had. She wore a long-sleeved shirt with a picture of the Mona Lisa on it under a forest green down jacket with beige, faux-fur lining the hood, blue jeans and the brown boots she seemed to always wear. She looked…different. Far more confident than when they first met, and he couldn't help but wonder when that had happened and why he hadn't noticed it.

"Jeez, do I look _that_ bad?" Lily wondered, combing her fingers through her new hair and Kirill was jolted from his trance by her voice. "I know I look different, but-"

"Net, Liliya," he cut in, pulling his arm from her grasp and slipping it around her shoulders to pull her close and whisper, "Vy otlichno vyglyadet΄, kak budto ya znal, chto ty, lyubovnik." (You look gorgeous, like I knew you would, lover)

Lily looked up at him in mild surprise but soon smiled and leaned up to press a kiss to his cheek and whispered, "Spasibo, milyĭ mal΄chik." (Thank you, sweet boy)

* * *

**A/N:** yea, mushy...and YES! i brought back Bourne. once again, my hands had a mind of their own. reviews?


	13. What's in a Name?

**A/N:** new chappie! finally! yay! enjoy!

* * *

_**Chapter 13: What's in a Name?**_

Lily hummed and bobbed her head lightly to the music on her headphones as she examined her nails. She between the Kirill and an empty seat as she listened to a walkman she bought along with a tape of some random music in an airport shop next to their gate before they boarded. Kirill kept his eyes on the passengers instead of on the book Lily had bought as well. He jerked straight up in his seat when the plane hit a bit of turbulence, and Lily frowned at him when she caught the movement.

Smiling, she pulled off her headphones and set them on her lap before reaching for his book and closing it. His gaze shot to her and he frowned as she set the book her lap, taking his wrist and leaning toward him to wrap his arm around her shoulders and settle her head on his chest.

"Vy napryazheny, detka," (You're tense, babe) she sighed, adjusting to be comfortable and lifted the hand that rested on her shoulder to her head, his fingers threading through her hair. He still frowned down at her as she settled against him, but after a moment he realized what she was trying to do and slowly began running his fingers through her newly died, newly cut hair. Her smile grew as she slid her other hand toward his free one and entwined her fingers with his.

"I ne bez osnovaniĭ, lyubovnik," (With good reason, lover) he replied. "Ya dolzhen byt΄ napryazhennym, chtoby derzhat΄ vas bezopasnym." (I have to be tense to keep you safe)

"Net," Lily sighed, shaking her head. "You just don't know how to relax."

"Of course I do," he murmured, nuzzling into her hair to speak into her ear. "Ya prekrasno rasslabit΄sya posle prigotovleniya sladkih lyubvi k vam, Liliya." (I relax just fine after making sweet love to you, Liliya)

Lily breathed deeply, trying to hold back from turning on him and making everyone in their cabin uncomfortable.

"Be careful," she breathed, craning her neck back to look up at him as he smirked down at her. "Keep talking like that and I'll end up attacking you and making a scene in front of all these people."

"Well, we can't have tha-"

Kirill cut himself off when he caught movement ahead of them in the isle and looked up, drawing Lily's attention ahead as well. Bourne was glancing around as he approached them and Lily shot up to sit straight as he sat in the empty seat next to her.

"Dva ryada nazad, ostrov siden΄ya," (Two rows back, isle seat) he murmured so low the couple could barely hear him.

Lily frowned and attempted to turn around but Kirill instantly tightened his arm around her shoulders to pull her back against him, making her give a small squeak.

"Ne sois pas stupide," (Don't be stupid) he hissed at her in French, knowing there was a reason Bourne _wasn't_ speaking English, then asked Bourne in Russian again, "Chto on vyglyadit?" (What's he look like?)

"_Ona_," (Her) Bourne corrected. "Krasnyĭ golovoĭ. Karie glaza. 5'2". Seredine dvadtsatyh godov. Amerikanskaya." (Red head. Brown eyes. 5'2". Mid-twenties. American)

"Penelope Hunter," Kirill ground out in hardly suppressed rage. He knew there was a reason he was so damn tense.

"You _know_ her?" Lily hissed in a hushed tone, and all Kirill did was shove his hand over her mouth as he still looked to Kirill.

"Chto vy predlagaete?" (What do you suggest?) he asked as Lily struggled slightly to free her face from his hand, but e held her fast.

"My pochti u tseli," (We're almost there) Bourne murmured. "Ona ne sdelaet shag na ploskosti. My poteryaem yee v aeroportu." (She won't make a move on the plane. We'll lose her in the airport)

Kirill nodded and Bourne stood to head back to his seat when a voice from overhead instructed everyone to fasten their seatbelts and put their trays in the upright positions for landing. He lowered his hand from Lily's mouth and she sat up to glare at him.

"Listen to me," he instructed, looking her in the eye as he took her hand and held it up between them before speaking to her in French. He wasn't risking any of his urgency being lost in translation. She wasn't _that_ good with Russian yet. "Ne lâchez pas de ma main lorsque nous quittons ce plan, compris?" (Do not let go of my hand when we leave this plane, understood?)

Lily stared at him for a moment before nodding, knowing he was serious and he nodded in return before lowering her hand and strapping his seat belt back on as they'd been instructed.

He stiffened when he noticed the red-head they'd been talking about earlier stand from her seat and slowly head toward them. Lily frowned at him as his gaze only followed the other woman until she reached their seats and for a moment, her amber eyes were locked with his hazel-greens. Both evaluating each other, _and_ the situation.

"Hello, Master," she smirked, making Lily's frown deepen as she whipped her gaze to Kirill, but he didn't look at her, he only watched the red-head sit in the empty seat next to Lily who gave a slight jump and whirled her head around to look at the other woman again. "I see I've been replaced."

"Penny," Kirill ground out. "I didn't think you could stoop this low."

"Hard for you to grasp, isn't it?" Penny smirked in mock sympathy as she reached into the pocket of her sweater and revealed a small pistol to ram into Lily's side. Kirill moved to attack when Lily gasped but Penny stopped him. "Vy mozhete divgat΄sya bystryee, chem ya mogu nazhat΄ na kurok?" (Can you move faster than I can pull that trigger?)

Kirill froze in his place and realized he couldn't. He gritted his teeth and sat back slowly as Penny gave a mischievous smirk.

"Vy nizkoĭ," (You are low) he ground out. "Skol΄ko stoit Gretkov predlagaem Vam prinyat΄ menya?" (How much is Gretkov offering you to take me out?)

"Oh, quit with the drama, won't you, Kirill?" she grumbled, pulling the gun away from Lily's stomach, making the brunette give a sigh of relief. "I'm not here to help Gretkov, I'm here to help _you_."

Both Lily and Kirill couldn't help but shoot wide-eyed and frowning gazes at her.

"_Help_ me?" Kirill asked back. "By threatening the woman I'm traveling with?"

"Well, you can't be too careful these days," Penny shrugged, concealing her pistol again. "She could be an undercover spy." She turned to Lily with a stern look. "Are you?"

Lily only shook her head, her eyes still wide in terror then Penny turned a tight smile to Kirill.

"See? A threat on one's life _always_ brings out the truth."

"Why do you want to help me, Penny?" Kirill asked getting straight to the point as Lily chose to remain silent for this conversation.

"'We' want no part of this little escapade getting leaked in the American papers," Penny explained. "I'm here to make Gretkov is erased from the minds and hearts of the Russians. Stealing 'our' money, then using his stolen funds to have one little grunt killed will _not_ be tolerated."

"Grunt?" Kirill echoed with a raised brow. "I _always_ got the job done."

"Goa, Kirill," Penny nearly sang in reminder, making Kirill's eyes pop at her as she gave another devious smile.

"How…?"

"We've been watching you, love," she smirked, sitting back in her seat and buckling her seat belt, casually. "Ever since Kuwait."

"That was _five_ _years_ _ago_," Kirill recalled. "Haven't you gotten over that yet?"

"_I_ have," Penny retorted. "It's the 'rest of the family' that hasn't."

"What happened in Kuwait?" Lily suddenly wondered and Kirill shot wide, green-hazel eyes at her in panic.

"Wait until we call a cab in Moscow, sweetheart," Penny smirked, leaning back as the plane started its descent. "It's a doozy."

"I'd rather be informed _now_, thank you very much," Lily retorted, no longer afraid of this woman, making Kirill snap a wide-eyed look of shock at her.

Penny lifted a brow at the brunette with a smirk before glancing to Kirill's expression, but he wasn't looking to the red-head and it made her smirk widen a little more. Lily ignored the feeling of Kirill's eyes boring into the back of her head and waited for an explanation, but what Penny finally said was unexpected.

"Well, you're a feisty one, aren't you?" Penny smirked, leaning her head back again as Lily only continued staring at her. "No wonder Master stuck with you so long."

"Why do you keep _calling_ him that?" Lily nearly snapped, but before Penny could answer she turned to Kirill and asked again, "Why does she keep calling you that?"

"That's what my name means in English," he explained instantly, making Penny almost burst into a full, amused grin at the scene in front of her. "It's nothing special between her and I, if that's why you're so upset."

"I'm upset that she's not _answering_ my question!" Lily retorted then turned back to Penny and asked again, "What the hell happened in Kuwait?"

"Well, if you'd let me get in a word in edgewise," Penny smirked back, making the younger girl glare at her as Kirill glanced between the two. "See, Kirill and I were undercover in Kuwait and things got…shall we say _heated_?"

Lily's eyes widened and she turned them to Kirill as he instantly looked away to gaze out the window on the other side of him. This was the longest landing he'd had to endure…_ever_.

"Kirill," Lily breathed, trying to draw his attention to her and it worked.

He looked to her and felt his heart clench so tightly he almost couldn't breathe. Her emerald eyes were glowing with hurt. Pure, potent, hurt. Not quite betrayal. He knew she wasn't that naïve to think she was his first and only, but it still struck her hard, he could see it.

"Wow, I never thought I'd see it," Penny murmured. "Kirill Molotov actually _falling_ for a cute little thing like you."

"You said your name was Ivanovich!" Lily breathed, the hurt in her eyes glowing even brighter, and his heart clenched even tighter.

"Come on, sweetheart," Penny retorted and Kirill shot a glare to the red head. "You really think he was gonna give you his _real_ name, even if you _did_ help him out?"

"Zatknis΄ i vernut΄sya obratno na svoe mesto, Penny," (Shut up and go back to your seat, Penny) Kirill snarled, making both girls turn wide-eyed gazes of surprise at the man as he only continued to glare at Penny.

"Kirill-?"

Lily's question was cut off when Kirill lifted a hand to silence her, not looking at her and she swallowed, hearing his tone and sitting back to leave it to him.

"My ne nuzhdaemsya v vashyeĭ pomoshchi, Miss Hanter," (We don't need your help, Miss Hunter) he continued, lowering his hand to rest it on one of Lily's where it sat on the armrest. "Teper΄, pozhaluĭsta, ostav΄te nas v pokoe, prezhde chem ya zastavit΄ vas obratno na svoe mesto." (Now please, leave us alone before I force you back to your seat.)

Lily swallowed again, chancing to look away from her lap to catch Penny's reaction to his words and to her surprise, she didn't seem affected at all. She knew then that she was a true spy. The _real_ ones were always cold, calm and collected no matter what the circumstances. The trick was figuring out if that demeanor would last, or snap. This would have been a perfect stressor for the snap if the red head had any feelings for the former Secret Service agent. That possibility frightened Lily over everything else.

Penny only stared back at Kirill for a moment before slowly standing, and Lily felt Kirill's hand tighten on hers as they both watched her stand.

"Alright, then," she smirked before walking back to her seat, a flight attendant stepping after her to tell her she shouldn't have been up.

Kirill sat back to face forward completely, his grip on Lily's hand loosening, but it still rested on her hand as they both looked forward. She looked up at him after a moment, his expression stoic and thoughtful as he didn't look back at her, but she couldn't help herself. She had to ask.

"What's your name?" she whispered, finally catching his attention.

He looked to her, his expression unchanged and they only stared at each other for a moment before he looked back at the hands and gently grasped hers to lift it to his face, leaving a gentle kiss to the center of her palm. She only watched him as he closed his eyes, his lips lingering on her palm and she swallowed. His lips were so warm and gentle on her palm that it was sending electricity through her every nerve. She held back a moan of disappointment when he pulled her hand down and when he opened his eyes, his gaze was warm when it met hers.

"Menya zovut Kirill Mihail Ivanovich," (My name is Kirill Mikhail Ivanovich) he murmured and Lily couldn't help but shiver, feeling his breath fan her palm before he lowered her hand. "S togo momenta, kak my vstretilis΄, ya nikogda ne mog lgat΄ vam, Liliya." (From the moment we met, I could never lie to you, Liliya)

Lily tried to blink away the tears of joy starting to form in her eyes before looking away from him and he only patted her hand as he turned ahead again. It was just a name, but he knew how important it was to her, and he couldn't deny her anything. He realized then that he loved this woman. She'd stuck by him until now, and he'd be damned if she would be hurt by anything or anyone, including himself.

He knew she would want to help him when they reached Moscow, but he wouldn't let her. Even if he had to drag her to this safe place Bourne had mentioned, at least she would be safe. All he had to worry about now was confronting the man that was currently making his life a living hell.

* * *

**A/N:** aw! sweet! anyway. reviews?


	14. Safe House

**A/N:** new chappie! enjoy!

* * *

_**Chapter 14: Safe House**_

Lily and Kirill held each other's hands in death grips as they marched out of the gate and into the airport. Now instead of just Kirill being alert and on edge, Lily was as well. He looked over his shoulder and spotted Penny ignoring them as she turned and calmly headed toward baggage claim. He turned back just in time to keep himself from ramming into Bourne, who was waiting for the beyond the crowd of passengers.

"Follow me," he instructed, leading the couple through the airport and toward the exit as quickly as possible. All three were thankful they didn't have any luggage to speak of except a couple carry-ons. "I called ahead for a ride."

"Trustworthy?" Kirill hoped.

"Should be," Bourne replied. "You know her."

"Drugaya zhenshchina?" (Another woman?) Lily grumbled while Kirill frowned at Bourne as they stepped out of the airport.

Bourne led them to the left, heading past other parked cars until he came to a familiar one to both Kirill and Lily…with a blonde woman leaning against the driver's side door, smoking a cigarette.

"Oh, you've _got_ to be kidding me," Lily muttered, seeing a now smiling Sasha as she flicked away her cigarette and opened the driver door to climb in and start the engine. "You got _her_?"

"She helped you before," Bourne recalled as they approached the car and he got into the front passenger's seat, Kirill and Lily heading toward the back seat.

Kirill opened the door and let Lily slide in ahead of him before he climbed in after her. Lily sighed, flipping her hair from her face in time to see Sasha throwing herself at Bourne, her lips planting to his. Lily couldn't help but smirk in triumph as Kirill settled next to her and he frowned at her before looking to the front seat and smirking subtly himself. He leaned toward her ear and nuzzled the side of her head before pressing his lips against the shell of her ear.

"Davat΄ vam idyei?" (Giving you ideas?) he murmured, making her shiver then smirk again and turn to him.

"Tol΄ko odin," (Just one) she admitted, tilting her chin up and capturing his lips with hers. He happily obliged her by returning the kiss, his tongue plunging into her mouth and making her moan as her arms slipped around his neck to pull him closer.

"Ya vizhu, ty nashel druguyu devushku, chtoby narushat΄, kogda vy rabotaete ne za svoyu zhizn΄," (I see you've found another girl to violate when you're not running for your life) Sasha smirked over her shoulder as she settled back into the driver's seat, Kirill and Lily emerging from their kiss to look at her.

"To zhe devochka, Sasha," (Same girl, Sasha) Lily smiled before turning back to Kirill and starting another session of tonsil hockey with him.

"Ooh, izvinite," (Ooh, pardon me) Sasha smiled, turning away from the scene just as Lily pulled Kirill on top of her, the black-haired girl giggling when she fell back onto the seat, still in a lip-lock with Kirill who wasn't complaining.

Bourne sat silently in the front seat as Sasha drove them away from the airport and through the streets of Moscow. Halfway to their destination Kirill and lily finally sat up and settled for leaning against each other for the time being, their hands locked and resting on Kirill's knee. He looked out the window as Lily set her head on his shoulder, but he frowned when he recognized the direction they were heading.

"Where are you taking us, Bourne?" he asked, making Lily frown up at him then look to the passenger seat where Bourne sat, not looking at them.

"You'll see when we get there, Kirill," Bourne replied. "Trust me, you two will be safe there. No one will think to look for you there."

"Where exactly _is_ 'there'?" Lily couldn't help but wonder.

"Somewhere you've been before," Bourne replied vaguely. "Don't worry about it."

"I worry about it," Lily muttered, leaning against Kirill's shoulder again as he resumed staring out the window.

He didn't bother asking anything else. He knew he wouldn't get anything more than that from his former target. It would have been the same way if roles were reversed. Sasha said nothing as she only drove them all down familiar streets that had grown strange to Kirill. Four weeks had been a long time, it seemed. They suddenly stopped in front of a building he could never forget and he straightened instantly, making Lily frown again and sit up.

"What's wrong, sladkiĭ mal΄chik?" she murmured, but Sasha heard as she shut off the engine and she smirked over her shoulder.

"'Sladkiĭ mal΄chik?'" she smirked as Bourne climbed out of the car, but Kirill didn't pay any attention and neither did Lily as she caught what he was staring at.

"What are we doing here?" she whispered as Bourne told Sasha to wait for him in the car.

"Just stay close to me," Kirill instructed, opening the door to climb out as he still held her hand. He nearly dragged her out of the car and she shut the door behind her before following Bourne into the former gentlemen's club. "What's happened to this place?"

"I bought it a week ago," Bourne replied, making the couple shoot wide-eyed gazes at him as he opened the door. "I haven't done anything with it, so it's pretty much the same as you last saw it. Except for the dead body's you left here."

"Kirill didn't kill them!" Lily snapped as they entered the dim room.

"I know," Bourne replied calmly, leading them deeper into the room. "Both of you know where the downstairs room is, I'm sure. I fixed it up a bit."

"You mean it doesn't look like a piss pot anymore?" Lily smirked as Bourne stopped next to the bar and let them pass by him a few steps before Kirill stopped and pulled Lily in front of him.

"Go downstairs," he ordered. "I'll be there in a moment."

Lily gave a frown but nodded and headed toward the downstairs room as Kirill turned to Bourne.

"Tomorrow?" Bourne guessed, reading the man's look.

"Da," Kirill nodded. "You and I alone."

"Of course," Bourne nodded. "Will you need anything?"

"A hand gun."

"Only one?"

"Only one."

"Easy enough. I'll be here for you in the morning. Early."

Kirill nodded and both men turned, Bourne heading out and Kirill heading toward the downstairs room. He took the familiar steps down to the door at the end, stepping in before shutting it behind him.

"Look, babe!" Lily grinned as she stood next to the bed unlike the rusty one that had been there four weeks ago. "There's carpet! And the light isn't just a little light bulb anymore! We could actually _live_ here if we wanted!"

Kirill said nothing as he stripped off his jacket and tossed it onto the bed as he approached her. She looked up at him with a frown but before she could question why he wasn't saying anything, he took her face into his hands and pulled her lips onto his. She moaned and slid her arms around his neck as his hands moved to grip her waist. They both turned and she fell back onto the bed, still in their lip-lock which lasted another moment before Kirill pulled his mouth away from hers slowly and started trailing kisses down her neck as she pulled him closer.

"I don't want you to go," she breathed, neither one of them pulling away, and he didn't stop worshipping her neck with his mouth. "If you're gonna go, take me with you. I can help."

"Net," he growled, shifting so that he could lean above her and look into her wide, emerald eyes. "I won't let you get hurt, Liliya. If you go with me, you _will_ be hurt, and I wouldn't be able to live with myself then."

"But you don't have to do this," Lily whispered, pulling her hands to either side of his face and stroking his cheeks with her thumbs. "Let someone else off him! Why does it have to be _you_?"

"Because _I'm_ the one he's hunting for, Lily," he replied. "If I don't do this, he'll keep coming for us for the rest of our lives! Do you want to live like this?"

"I can't lose you!" she answered desperately, her arms throwing themselves around his neck again. "Don't you see it, Kirill? I can't live without you! If you die, _I'll_ die! Why would you risk us both like this?"

Kirill felt her beginning to sob into his shoulder as she held him close and his hands moved from her waist to her thighs, gripping them to wrap them around him. He held her close again and shifted so that he was sitting up on the bed and she sat in his lap, her legs still wrapped around him, her arms still around him as well.

"Lyubovnik, look at me," he whispered into her black hair and she sniffled, lifting her head to stare a tear stained face at him.

"I am doing this to give us a better life," he murmured. "Could you really stand running like this for the rest of our lives?"

"As long as _you_ are with me, safe and unharmed, I could run anywhere for as long as we needed," she shuddered. "You protect me, and I protect you. That's how it works, isn't it? We take care of each other, no matter what the score. I can't live without you. I…I love you."

Kirill held her gaze for a long moment before pulling her close and pressing his full lips to her swollen ones, softly. Lily sighed in contentment and hugged him closer for a moment before he broke the kiss and rested his forehead against hers, both panting for breath.

"I love you, Liliya," he breathed, making her eyes widen at him, but she didn't move. "That is why I am doing this. I cannot let you live like this, and I cannot let you go with me."

"Why not?" Lily cried, ready to give in to another sobbing fit as she buried her face into his shoulder again. "I can help you!"

"No doubt," he admitted, stroking her hair with one hand and holding her close with the other. "You can patch me up when I come back to you."

"That's not what I mean, and you know it!"

"The discussion is over, Liliya," he murmured into her ear. "Now please, stop crying, da?"

"I could lose you, and you want me to stop crying?" she sobbed, not pulling away from his shoulder.

He didn't reply and instead shifted again so that he could lie on his back, his head on the pillow as Lily shifted to snuggle against him, their arms still wrapped around each other.

"I'm sorry, moya lyubov΄," he murmured into her hair as she still sobbed against him. "We won't have the peace you want until I do this."

"Just…shut up," she suddenly shuddered, lifting her head and taking his chin into one of her hands to pull it toward her face. She shifted to bring herself closer to his face and left tender kisses to his lips before pulling away for a moment to continue, "I realize I'm not gonna talk you out of this, so just shut up and make love to me before I change my mind and get _really_ angry with you."

She planted her lips to his again and shifted to straddle him as he pulled her closer, both starting to tug at each other's clothes.

* * *

_The Next Morning..._

Kirill sat at the edge of the bed, leaning over to pull on his shoes on as Lily lay behind him, tangled in the sheets. He slowly stood from the bed, trying not to rock it too much and wake Lily. He was sure if she woke, she would try to talk him into staying again, and he didn't want to have to explain it to her again. He shuffled silently around the room, grabbing his jacket and finally heading toward the door.

"Kirill?"

He stopped dead just as he reached the door and turned to see Lily sitting up, tiredly rubbing her eyes and keeping the blankets around her at the same time. He couldn't keep his heart from skipping at the sight of her innocent look, even though she was naked under those sheets.

"You were gonna leave without saying goodbye?" she wondered in a raw voice as she shifted to stand from the bed, wrapping one of thick blankets around herself to approach him.

"I thought we'd done that last night," he recalled, not moving as she stood in front of him and finding it very hard to keep his gaze on her face in her state of undress.

"We avoided it," she corrected. "Now you're leaving, and I want a kiss before you leave because…"

She trailed off at the thought that crossed her mind, casting her gaze down for a moment before Kirill lifted a hand to pull her close to him by her waist, making her gasp and her gaze shoot to his.

"I'll come back, Liliya," he murmured. "I promise."

"But you'll come back broken and bleeding," she shuddered, tears starting to well in her eyes. "It makes me sick just _thinking_ of seeing you like that."

"I'll rely on you to clean and heal me, moya lyubov΄," he murmured before she stepped closer to snuggle against him and he wrapped his other arm around her, burying his face in her mussed hair. "All that matters is that I come back to you alive, da?"

"Alive and safe," she shuddered.

"I won't be able to promise safe, but I _will_ come back alive, Liliya," Kirill assured her as she snuggled closer to him before lifting her head to look up at him.

"I love you, Kirill," she shuddered. "Don't forget that."

"Nikogda," (Never) he nearly growled. "That will keep me fighting to stay alive if I'm caught before I kill Gretkov."

"So that's your plan?" she assumed. "Sneak into wherever he is and kill him, just like that?"

"Unless you have a better plan, da," he scoffed, moving his face to nuzzle her neck as she hugged him closer a moment. "I must meet Bourne."

"Tell him I expect him to bring you back alive," Lily breathed.

"I will," he replied. "Ya lyublyu tebya." (I love you)

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**A/N:** ok, so its kinda mushy, and sad, but come on! the man could be going to his death! reviews?


	15. Last Mission

**A/N:** new chappie! FINALLY! enjoy!

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_**Chapter 15: Last Mission**_

Kirill shoved the door open to find Bourne waiting in Sasha's car. He was thankful Sasha wasn't there. Then again, he knew Bourne wouldn't allow her to come with them on such a dangerous drive – she would only get in the way. Kirill opened the passenger door and climbed in without a word, strapping on his seat belt as Bourne started the engine and turned into the icy streets of Moscow. For a few moments the two said nothing as Bourne drove, both concentrating their stares ahead and Kirill couldn't keep his thoughts from wandering.

Why was Jason Bourne, of all people, helping _him_? He was the man that had killed the woman he loved back in India. He had chased him in Moscow and tried to kill him…_twice_. What had changed? He couldn't take not knowing anymore, although he had a feeling Bourne wouldn't reveal much, if anything.

"Why are you helping me?" Kirill finally asked, neither one looking away from the view ahead of them. "I killed your woman and tried killing you _twice_. Not to mention I framed you."

Bourne was silent for a moment and Kirill said nothing as he waited for an explanation. He would get one eventually, he could tell.

"You want out, don't you?" Bourne finally asked, making Kirill shoot a frown to him, but the other man only continued staring ahead as he drove. "It's not easy."

"But…I-"

"Live and let live, Kirill," Bourne interrupted. "It may have been only a month ago, but I have better things to worry about than a grudge. Crashing you into that column pretty much finished off any rage I may have been harboring anyway."

Kirill couldn't help but scoff at that before turning to the view ahead again and nodded in acceptance. The rest of the trip to, he only knew where, was silent until Bourne stopped across the street from a hotel, making Kirill frown at it before turning to the other man.

"This is where he's staying," Bourne explained. "He works from the hotel room."

"Zvukov o prave," (Sounds about right) Kirill muttered.

"Your gun is in the glove box," Bourne explained, and the other man reached forward to open it and examine the handgun, pulling out the silencer in the box as well. "I can get you into the room-"

"No need," Kirill cut in, slipping the magazine from the gun to make sure it was loaded then slipped it back in and cocked the gun. "I can get myself in. You've done enough, trust me. Happen to have the room number?"

"Twenty-three," Bourne replied as Kirill shoved the gun into his coat pocket and unbuckled his seat belt.

"Spasibo," he nodded, climbing out of the car and shutting the door behind him before leaning into the open window to request, "Take care of Lily if anything happens to me. If anyone can keep her safe it would be you."

"I will," Bourne nodded then smirked, subtly, "But I won't tell her."

Kirill gave another scoff before standing tall and stepping around the car and toward the street. He quickly pulled the hood of the sweater he was wearing under his jacket over his head. Even though his appearance had changed, it would be just his luck that _someone_ would recognize him. He kept his head down, a hand in one pocket with the gun as he shoved the door open and strolled inside. Once through the door he went to the front desk, still keeping his gaze down.

"Kak ya mogu vam pomoch΄, ·eer?" (How can I help you, Sir?) the clerk asked.

"Nomer 23, pozhaluĭsta," (Room 23, please) Kirill muttered, and the clerk went to typing at his computer.

"Mne ochen΄ zhal΄. Konmata 23 zanyato. No nomer 25, ryadom s nim, mozhno," (I'm sorry. Room 23 is occupied. But room 25, next to it, is available)

"Shtraf," (Fine) Kirill nodded. All he wanted was to get up to that floor without suspicion.

He quickly received a key and only had to sign one paper before he continued through the lobby and toward the elevator to take him to the third floor. Once the doors shut he quickly checked his gun, before shoving it back into his pocket when the door opened again. He still kept his head down as he stepped down the hall. That familiar thrill he'd always felt before pulling a job returned for a moment before the magnitude of what he was about to do hit him again.

Kirill stepped in front of the door of room twenty four and acted as though he was going to head inside, but he was eyeing the door next to his, planning a surprise attack. Stepping into his room he shut the door and leaned back against it with a heavy sigh, a sigh of exhaustion, but tension still ran through him. He _had_ to keep that edge. His mind strayed to Lily, but only for a second before he formed his plan of attack, piece by piece.

Shoving his hand into his jacket pocket again, he turned to the door and flung it open, marching out into the hall. The few steps he took to the door next to him felt like he was in slow motion as he pulled out his gun and aimed it at the door before kicking it in. Not his best entrance, he was sure, but he had to work with winging it. Quickly spotting two suited goons he fired at them. One bullet each. Both down before they could even think to pull their guns. He marched toward the bedroom where he took out two more goons before they could fire, then aimed his gun at one more man standing at the foot of the bed, his back toward Kirill.

"Povernis΄ medlenno," (Turn around slowly) he ordered, recognizing the man, even from behind.

"Pochemu by prost one ubit΄ menya, Kirill?" (Why not just kill me, Kirill?) the man scoffed, unmoving. "Vy poluchili eto daleko." (You've gotten this far)

"Svoyu ochered΄, vokrug," (Turn around) Kirill repeated.

Finally, the man turned, slowly. His expensive suit was flecked with blood from his men being shot so close to him, and there were even a few drops on his glasses.

"You should have taken my offer, Kirill," Gretkov said. "I really didn't want to have to kill someone who worked so hard and so diligently for me."

"Why me?" Kirill couldn't help but ask. "Why would you waste your time trying to get _me_ back? You had better connections."

"Better than a Secret Service assassin?" Gretkov smirked. "You're too modest, Kirill." He slowly stepped toward the bathroom door, Kirill keeping his aim on him the entire time as he turned to face him again. "So, what will you do?"

"I'll make _you_ a deal," Kirill shot back. "If you swear to stop hunting me, I'll eave you alive. But the _second_ I'm threatened again, I'll come after you, and I won't hesitate to put a bullet in your head."

"I can't imagine why you haven't done that _now_," Gretkov retorted. "Has that girl changed you that much?"

"Leave her out of this," Kirill warned, gripping the gun a little harder in his hand in anger.

"That will be difficult," Gretkov replied and quickly reached through the opening between the bathroom door and its frame. Kirill almost pulled the trigger, but stopped short when Gretkov shoved a body in his way, making his eyes widen in disbelief.

Lily's eyes were overflowing with silent tears as they streamed down her face and over the duct tape covering her mouth. Her hands were bound with a plastic pull-tie and her hair was mussed, her face bruised at the edges of the tape where she'd been thrown and slapped about. His heart clenched at the sight, and the knowledge that _he_ was the one to blame for her predicament. But how did she get there?

"You think we wouldn't find your little hiding place?" Gretkov smirked in triumph as Lily let her head bow in shame. "We have eyes everywhere. Bright, beautiful _brown_ eyes that adore watching _you_."

At that comment it suddenly hit him. Penny Hunter.

"Did you _really_ think she was on that plane by coincidence?" Gretkov wondered, seemingly reading Kirill's thoughts. "I paid her off. I knew the CIA was watching your every move, and using only _her_ to do it. So while she fed her reports to her superiors, for a small fee, she copied those reports and sent them to _me_. Didn't you ever wonder how you were being found everywhere you went?"

It was all making sense to him now. If he was being honest, he really _hadn't_ thought about it. He only saw it as running for his life. It was a natural thing for him, he was sorry to say. But now, everything was becoming clearer. _Nothing_ after that car crash in the tunnel had been coincidence, except one thing: Lily.

"Now, put your gun down," Gretkov continued, bringing Kirill back from his thoughts when he pulled out a gun from behind his back and aimed it at Lily's head, resuming, "or I'll blow her head off."

Lily's head shot up to stare at Kirill in pure terror as he tried aiming for Gretkov's head, but he was holding her in a position that blocked the shot. Kirill gritted his teeth, as he glanced from Gretkov's expectant stare to Lily's frightened one. He suddenly noticed her gaze darting downward and kept his gaze on her. She was trying to tell him something. His gaze shot to her hands and she slowly lowered them, left hand patting her thigh. He gave a subtle frown as she gestured with her right hand as though she were pulling a trigger.

It clicked and Kirill had a sudden inner struggle with himself as his gaze turned back to Gretkov. He still couldn't get the shot, and Lily was giving him a way to get it, but he couldn't do it. He _wouldn't_.

"You want her to _die_, Kirill?" Gretkov snapped, impatiently. "Put the gun down."

Lily stomped her foot, her emerald eyes glaring at Kirill, silently ordering him to do as she said. Gretkov frowned to her in confusion and Kirill suddenly realized he had no other choice. Lowering his aim, his heart clenched painfully as he pulled the trigger, and it was even more painful when Lily screamed in pain, but the plan worked. She fell to the floor, her arm instantly yanked from Gretkov's grip and Kirill lifted his gun, pulling the trigger one more time. Gretkov's head snapped back at the impact of the bullet between his eyes and the force was so much that he fell back onto the floor.

Kirill ran toward Lily as she tried to sit up and he knelt in front of her, setting the gun down to help her sit up before taking the tape off of her mouth. It peeled away easily, the moisture from her tears and sweat weakening the adhesive on it.

"Kirill, I'm sorry!" she sobbed as he worked at her bonds. "These two men came in after you left! They had guns-!"

"It's alright, Liliya," Kirill interrupted in a shaken tone. "It was not your fault."

He said nothing else as she sobbed, half from the pain in her leg and half from the whole ordeal of being kidnapped and held hostage. Seeing him struggle with her bonds she slowed her sobbing to help.

"He has a knife," she breathed, catching his gaze to hers as she nodded toward Gretkov's body. "Left front pocket."

Kirill shuffled toward the body and reached inside the pocket to find a pocket knife and quickly cut through the plastic-tie, releasing her. She threw her arms around him as he dropped the knife and he caught her in his arms, holding her tightly as she buried her face in his shoulder.

"I was afraid he'd kill you," she shuddered, and he felt guilt sweep over him again at what he'd done to her. "I knew you wouldn't drop your gun, but I couldn't let you play the martyr, so I thought- That plan worked, didn't it?"

Kirill said nothing and just held her close, thankful she was alive. She lifted a hand to sift through his hair and raised her head to press her lips to his ear.

"Don't feel guilty, my love," she whispered. "I'm glad you shot me. If you hadn't, _Gretkov_ would have shot _you_. There was no other way."

He suddenly heard sirens outside and he said nothing as he pushed her off of him, gently. He grabbed the knife and the gun he'd used, stuffed both of them in his jacket pockets then stood over Lily, holding out his hand to her. She didn't question him as she took his hand and she struggled to stand before he swept her off her feet and hurried toward the door.

Kirill marched toward room twenty five and set Lily down, supporting her on one side as he pulled out his key to get into the room. Once he had the door open he lifted Lily again and hurried in, just as he heard the elevator ping for the police arriving. He shut the door with his foot and walked Lily toward the bed to set her down, gently.

"I'll be back," he assured her, lifting a hand to stroke her hair away from her face. "I need to get something to stop the bleeding."

Lily was about to say something but he swiftly stepped away and headed toward the bathroom to find a first aid kit. A knock on the door made Lily jump and stare it, but when she saw Kirill dart his head around the corner and hold a finger to his lips, she kept silent.

"Politsiya," (Police) a voice called on the other side.

Lily felt her heart pound in her chest but said nothing as Kirill remained in his spot, watching her and remaining silent as well. They soon heard footsteps walking away from the door and Lily gave out a sigh of relief as Kirill headed back toward her with the first aid kit he'd found and a wet cloth. She watched him as he sat on the bed and opened the kit, pulling out the roll of gauze and disinfectant.

"Kirill," she called, but he said nothing as he closed the case and turned to unbutton her pants. She gripped his hands, bringing his gaze to hers in wonder and she only pulled his hands toward her until his whole body followed and she smiled when his face was inches from hers.

"Kiss me," she whispered. "Please?"

"Liliya-"

"Just so I know you're not mad at me for making you shoot me in the leg," she cut in, making him frown. "I need you to kiss me, please."

He was about to object and tell her that he wasn't angry at _her_. That he was angry at _himself_ for doing it. But, he bit his tongue and instead, leaned forward to gently press his lips to hers. Her arms instantly wrapped around his neck to pull him closer, and he slid his arms around her to support her back as he sat her up. His tongue slid smoothly between her lips, making her moan in approval before he pulled away, slowly. She groaned in disappointment, but it was soon silenced when his warm, wet lips began trailing kisses over her neck and shoulder. He wanted to soothe away the day's activities and he was doing a fine job so far, she thought.

Kirill left one last kiss behind her ear before gently laying her down again and turning to her pants. Unbuttoning them her started slowly pulling them down until the wound on her thigh was exposed and he took the cloth to wipe away the blood around it, then set the cloth under her leg where the bullet had gone through the other side. He grabbed the disinfectant and poured it over her wound, making her growl, loudly in pain then glare at him for the lack of warning, but he still said nothing as he lifted the gauze to start wrapping it around her leg.

Lily watched him work, both in silence. She could have started asking him questions, but then she realized, she had no questions to ask. Everything had been explained. Well, there was always that one question…

"Kirill," she called, meekly and he gave an affirmative noise. "What now?"

He tied off her bandage and began putting things away in the kit before setting on the stand next to the bed and leaning over her, staring at her.

"Now," he sighed, taking off his jacket and draping it over her before continuing, "I don't know."

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**A/N:** reviews?


	16. A Plane Ride Away

**A/N:** new chappie! enjoy!

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_**Chapter 16: A Plane Ride Away**_

"Gotovy, lyubov΄ moya?" (Ready, my love?)

Lily nodded and sat on the sill of the open window across the room from the door. They could still hear the police rummaging around in the room next to them as Lily swung one leg out onto the fire escape balcony. Kirill helped her injured leg over the sill before climbing through it as well and shut the window behind them. Lily leaned on the railing of the stairs as Kirill shoved a hand in one of his pockets to pull out his gun and hand it to her.

She took the gun with a frown, holding it up to examine it before looking to him and asking, "What's this thing on the end?"

"A silencer," Kirill frowned back in wonder as he leaned over the railing to see if anyone was in the alley. "You've seen one before."

"Not _on_ the gun," she reminded him.

"Alright, let's go," he ordered, taking her left arm and supporting her as they started down the fire escape.

"Are we just gonna _walk_ back to the safe house?" Lily wondered as she limped down the stairs.

"I was driven here," he replied, supporting her on her left. "We'll be driven out."

They were silent for the remainder of the journey down the stairs until they reached the bottom, ten feet above the snowy ground below. Kirill helped Lily to lean on the wall next to her and tried to let the ladder down so they could climb down. He jerked and pulled, but it was frozen in its place from lack of use.

Kirill jumped down from the platform, sending Lily to lean over the railing and watch him as he landed on his feet. She sighed in relief when he turned and lifted his hands toward her, beckoning her to jump as she swallowed before letting herself fall and he caught her…sending them both to the ground. Freshly fallen snow blew up like a cloud around them when they landed, Lily on top of Kirill and she couldn't help but start laughing.

"Chto zdes΄ smeshnogo?" (What's so funny?) Kirill groaned as he sat up, Lily in his lap.

"After everything we've been through, you _fall_ from catching me!" Lily laughed as she slid her arms around his neck to kiss his cheek. "It's nice to know you're not _completely_ invincible."

Kirill lifted a brow of _un_amusment, and shifted her off his lap to stand before helping her up. He supported her on the left as they headed toward the street, Kirill glancing over his shoulder to make sure no one was following them. He was sent back to the day he met Lily. Constantly looking over his shoulder, making sure no one was following, and on alert. He suddenly realized that with Gretkov dead, he might have _some_ measure of peace, and might be able to relax…with Lily by his side.

He pulled his hood over his head as they reached the street, Lily bowing her head as they started toward the car across the street. Kirill smirked at the car's position. Bourne hadn't gone anywhere since he dropped off the Russian. The car started and Lily looked to Kirill for guidance, but he just kept marching toward the car. He opened the back door and helped Lily in before climbing in himself.

"Get us out of here before the police come out and try to question us," Kirill warned.

"What's Lily doing here?" Bourne asked, turning into the street to drive off.

"The club isn't safe anymore," Kirill replied. "We'll have to stay in a hotel."

"Is she alright?" Bourne asked, glancing into the mirror.

"I'm fine," Lily assured him. "Other than the shot in my leg, but that was _my_ idea."

Bourne frowned into the rearview mirror and Kirill only shook his head, replying, "Don't ask."

"I told Kirill to shoot me," Lily replied.

"Liliya-"

"He wants to know what happened," she cut into Kirill's objection then continued to tell Bourne what happened.

"You're very calm for just being shot," Bourne noticed when she finished her story.

"Well," Lily sighed, shifting slightly and Kirill helped her get more comfortable. "I've been attacked, nearly raped, held hostage and kidnapped, not to mention I've shot and killed two people. My guess was getting shot was next on the list."

She couldn't help but giggle at the looks of disbelief she got from the men, but she only turned to Kirill and lifted a hand to stroke his face, soothingly.

"Where do you want me to leave you guys?" Bourne asked, taking a turn.

"The airport," Kirill replied. "We need to leave the country."

"Will I _ever_ get to do any sightseeing in Russia?" Lily smirked, leaning back in her seat as Kirill gave a subtle smirk. He knew she was teasing him, and he was _glad_ she was teasing him.

"Where will you go?" Bourne wondered, stopping at a light.

"We should wing it," Lily suggested excitedly. "Just look at the board and catch the first flight we see, no matter _where_ it's going."

"We'll discuss it when we get to the airport," Kirill replied, shifting closer to Lily. She frowned at him in wonder as he slid his arms around her and pulled her close, starting to thread his fingers through her black hair.

"Ya lyublyu tebya, Liliya," (I love you, Liliya) he whispered into her ear, making her smile and slips her arms around him as well.

"Ya tozhe tebya lyublya, Kirill," (I love you too, Kirill) she murmured into his shirt, making him smirk as he set his chin on top of her head to gaze contentedly out the window.

His content smile soon disappeared when he noticed a car pacing them to the left and turned to a frown. Lily seemed to sense something was wrong because she shifted to look up at him with a frown of her own.

"What's wrong?" she asked, when he didn't look down at her.

"Bourne?"

"I see them," he confirmed. "Hold on."

Kirill pushed Lily's head down to duck just as bullets crashed through the glass of the windows and the car swerved to the left. Lily let out a shocked scream as the car turned and more gunshots rang out, whizzing over their heads.

"Give me the gun!" Kirill ordered Lily, and she pulled it out of her pocket without argument.

He quickly took off the silencer and aimed out the window, keeping Lily's head down as he shot at their attackers. Bourne jerked the car to turn left, the car beside them still heading straight. Kirill lowered his gun and peeked up out the window to see if the car would turn to head after them. Police cars were barreling after it, and a few turned to race after _them_ as well.

"Can you lose them?" Kirill asked Bourne as Lily slowly sat up, trembling in shock.

"Yeah," Bourne nodded, and instantly went to swerving down the street.

The police car followed rather well past a few sharp turns, but they hit black ice around a turn which Bourne expertly navigated. The police car behind them, however, spun out of control and swerved up the curb as Bourne took another turn to be sure to lose them.

"We're almost to the airport," Bourne reported. "Lily, you ok?"

Kirill looked to her to see her trembling but she nodded, vigorously.

"She's fine," he replied for her and pulled her into his arms again, trying to still her trembling.

"Here we are," Bourne reported, stopping the car.

Kirill climbed out of the car and helped Lily out, tossing the gun onto the front passenger seat along with Gretkov's knife. Bourne took both things and climbed out of the car himself to walk toward the two.

"Need any more help?" he asked, shoving the weapons into the pockets of his jacket.

"Net," Kirill replied, shaking his head before glancing around at their surroundings. "We'll be fine now. We just have to get out of here."

"Thanks for all the help, Jason," Lily smiled, taking a step toward him and hugging him before limping back toward Kirill who nodded his thanks as well.

"I took care of a loose end that needed tying up last night, by the way," Bourne added, making the couple frown in wonder. "A certain red-head paid me a visit last night. I had no choice but to take her out."

Kirill gave a subtle smirk as he realized he was talking about Penny Hunter and nodded, "Spasibo."

Bourne nodded and started walking down the street to find another car as Kirill and Lily watched him before he took her hand and turned them into the airport. She gave a slight wince when she had to limp after him and he turned to her, remembering her injury. He stepped closer as they still walked through the airport but he slowed his pace.

"Would you like a wheelchair?" he whispered and she glanced to him with a smirk.

"You think I'm _that_ weak, huh?" she murmured back making him smirk in return.

"Of course not," he replied.

They stopped at the flight board and glanced around at what was available.

"Let's try Spain this time," Lily suggested.

"Spain?" Kirill frowned to her

"Yeah, why not?" she shrugged. "I'd rather go _there_ than Japan, to be honest. And going back to France would be…less exciting after living there for four months."

"Why would you say that?" he wondered.

"Nothing's new there now," she shrugged, hugging his arm. "If you don't wanna go there, it's ok."

"That's not it," he replied, looking back to the board to find the next flight. "If that's where you want to go, we will."

The hairs on the back of his neck suddenly stood attention and he whipped his gaze around, making Lily instantly look around as well, recognizing the look on his face. Neither one of them said a word as Kirill pulled Lily toward the counter for their boarding passes, and she tried her best not to limp, not wanting whoever was watching them to see that she was injured.

Lily kept watch for anyone that looked suspicious as Kirill bought their tickets. When finished he gripped her hand and pulled her toward the security checkpoint.

"Our plane is boarding soon," he whispered in her ear, both feeling like they were being followed. "After security, if he is still following us, will you be able to run?"

"Da," Lily nodded in determination, gripping his hand in reassurance and Kirill nodded.

"Horosho," (Good) he nodded. "Follow my lead."

Lily nodded again as they went through security. She was worried they would say something about her leg, but they said nothing and they both passed with flying colors. A man a few people after them, however, had no such luck. Kirill recognized him for what he was and gripped Lily's hand just as she finished pulling on her shoes to pull her toward their gate.

"We'll have to hurry," he murmured, hearing the man behind them giving security a hard time about his concealed gun. "Will you be alright?"

"Don't worry about me," she whispered. "Concentrate on getting us on the plane and _I'll_ concentrate on keeping up. I can do it, too. And you _know_ I can."

"Da," he nodded, gripping her hand a bit tighter. "Davaĭte podnyat΄ temp, to." (Let's pick up the pace, then)

They both started running toward their gate as the man finally made it through security and headed after them. Seeing a shop they could lose their tail in, he slowed his pace, tugging on Lily's hand to make her do so as well and he let go of her hand to grip her arm to bring her close to whisper.

"Go to our gate and wait for me," he whispered, shoving their boarding passes into her hand and she looked at him with wide, frightened eyes.

"What are you gonna do?" she couldn't help but ask.

"Just go," he replied. "He'll follow me, not you."

Lily nodded, know it was useless to argue before he let go of her arm and he turned to head into the shop before they passed it and she kept on walking, heading toward their gate.

As he predicated, the tail followed him. Déjà vu swept over him, but he paid no attention to it as he looked up to see the position of the cameras in the shop. He quickly positioned himself in a blind spot and waited. From the position he'd picked, the tail would nearly pass him, and he could make a surprise attack without being seen by the cameras.

He couldn't help but smirk as the man came around the corner, not seeing Kirill before it was too late. Kirill gripped the man by the arm, spun him, threw another arm around his neck to grip his hair and pulled. A sickening crack signaled the man's neck being broken, but he sensed his work wasn't done yet as the dead tail slid to the floor. He caught the sound of a gun cocking next to his ear instantly reacted.

One of his hands flew up and gripped the wrist of the hand holding the gun to his head and twisted it, pulling it down so he could give the new attacker an elbow to the face and bent him over to connect the man's face with his knee, rendering him unconscious. Kirill picked up the gun and shoved it in his pocket before pulling his hood over his head and stalking out of the shop just as a woman screamed in terror at the bodies on the floor.

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_At the gate..._

Lily sighed as she tapped her foot impatiently, hearing the last call for their flight and praying he was alright as she searched the crowd for him. She gasped in shock when a hand gripped her arm and she thought to struggle until it the man on her arm pulled her toward the gate, yanking the passes from her hand. She recognized the grip on her arm and the voice that spoke to the attendant.

She looked up at Kirill as he still wore his hood over his head and placed a hand on his arm to pull him to the side of the boarding plank as he frowned down at her.

"Tell me the truth," she began as other people passed them to board the plane. "I'll be with you whatever you tell me, but be honest. Will this ever end? Will we ever be…safe?"

Kirill's frown disappeared and he gave a small warm smile, something she never remembered him doing as he lifted a hand to her face and stroked her cheek.

"Da, malen΄kaya," he murmured, pulling her chin up to leave a tender kiss on her lips before murmuring, "Nasha bezopasnost΄ tol΄ko ploskosti yezdy. (Our safety is just a plane ride away)

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**A/N:** reviews?


	17. Spain

**A/N:** second to last chappie! enjoy!

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_**Chapter 17: Spain**_

"Gracias!" Lily called to the mail man before heading up the stairs, looking through the mail in her hand. She stepped through the apartment door at the top of the stairs and shut it with her foot, still looking through the mail as she flipped her brown hair from her emerald gaze.

"Sladkiĭ mal΄chik!" she called, tossing the mail onto the stand next to the door and skipping down the hall to head into the bedroom she and Kirill shared. She quickly glanced at her watch to check the time, stopping next to the closed door then shrugged, "He's gotta get up anyway."

Opening the door slowly, she peeked into the darkened room to see Kirill lying on his stomach, face buried in the pillow and snoring loudly, the sheets pulled up to his waist. Smiling at the sight she couldn't help but rush into the room to jump onto the queen sized bed, making Kirill groan from the movement.

"Oh, so you're awake," Lily smirked, shuffling toward him on her stomach to lie next to him.

"_Now_ I am," he muttered, unmoving as she sat up on her elbow to rest halfway on top of him, her hand stroking his back, soothingly as he still didn't move. "What time is it?"

"Noon," she smiled, kissing his shoulder before setting her chin on it. "How was work last night?"

"Same," he muttered, still not moving.

"I'm glad you're back on nights," she admitted, sitting up to straddle his waist and start massaging his back and shoulders. "Those swings were killing you."

Kirill only groaned in response, then again in approval when her hands dug into his back to rub away his stress.

"Anybody famous go into the hotel?" she wondered, still working on him.

"Net," he muttered, still unmoving. "However, we had a nice little show of drunk cheerleaders trying to do their…how you say…human pyramid?"

"Lord almighty, that's stupid," Lily chuckled. "Thank goodness you were there to keep it from happening, right?"

"Da," he replied and one of his hands suddenly came up behind his back to grip Lily's wrist and pull her next to him onto the bed.

She laughed as she landed on her back and he finally sat up to pin her down with his body, his mouth instantly attacking hers. She moaned and slid her arms around his neck as his lower body rested perfectly between her legs and his tongue slid past her lips, making her moan again before she frowned. When he finally pulled away, he frowned at her expression.

"Chto s toboĭ, Liliya?" (What's wrong, Liliya?) he murmured.

"You taste…minty," she explained. "Like you just brushed your teeth."

Kirill's eyes shifted only slightly and Lily tried to fight back a smirk, but it didn't work.

"You were awake, weren't you?" she continued. "You just made a big show! How long were you awake?"

"Ten minutes," he muttered, and Lily giggled, smacking his chest lightly before gripping the back of his neck and pulling him onto her lips, wrapping her legs around his waist with a giggle.

It had been a year since they landed in Spain, and they had adapted easily, though it took Kirill a little longer to finally relax and realize they were no longer being followed. That didn't stop him from taking small precautions. A small pistol in every room, in an easily located place. Lily didn't like it too much, but if it made Kirill feel safer, than she wouldn't argue.

Kirill's lips moved from Lily's mouth and began softly caressing her neck, making her moan again and pull him closer.

"Kirill," she breathed, threading her fingers through his thick, brown hair and starting to nibble at his ear and making him groan in approval.

"Liliya, moya lyubov΄," (Liliya, my love) he breathed into her neck.

"Da?" Lily replied.

"U menya yest΄ podarok dlya tebya," (I have a present for you) he whispered, making Lily frown, but he only pressed his lips to her ear and said, "Skol΄zheniya ruki v karman." (Slip your hand into my pocket)

Lily giggled lightly before doing as she was told, adding, "That sounds dirty."

"Maybe it is," he murmured, nipping her ear lobe.

Lily gave another giggle before slipping her hand into his front jeans pocket and feeling something small and smooth. Frowning she shoved her hand deeper into the pocket, making him jerk from the force of the action but he smirked when she gasped, her wide, emerald eyes meeting his loving, green-hazels.

"Kirill…" she breathed, slipping her hand from his pocket, holding the thing she'd found in a death grip and bringing it between them. "If this is what I think it is, you know what's coming, right? Screaming, crying, and probably some _incredible_ sex."

"Da," Kirill chuckled, then nodded at her closed hand. "Look at it, malen΄kaya."

Lily licked her lips to moisten her dry mouth and looked down at her hand, slowly opening her fingers and her other hand flew to her mouth at what she saw. An impressively sized diamond sat between two smaller pink gems on a silver setting, sized to fit one finger on Lily's hand…the left ring finger. She stared at it and Kirill stared at her before leaned his face next to hers to press his lips against the shell of her ear.

"Vyhodi za menya zamuzh, moya Liliya," (Marry me, my Liliya) he murmured, and she shivered as his words and the meaning behind them hit her eardrum like a hammer. "I'm sorry it took me this long to ask you to be mine forever, but I needed to make sure that if you accepted me, you would be safe. So, what is your answer, Liliya?"

"In what language would you like my answer?" she smirked, slipping her arms around his neck so he couldn't see what she was doing with her hands.

"I don't care," he growled, gripping her hips and pressing her into the mattress, making her giggle before she moaned. "Please, don't tease me."

"How about we try sign language?" she smirked, gently pushing him up to place her hands between them again.

She held up both her hands, her left held up with her palm facing her, and her right hand pointing at one of her fingers and what was on it…the diamond ring. Kirill's eyes widened at her in surprise. He had hoped she would say yes, but being faced with the reality of the answer he'd hoped for was still shocking.

"Yes," she whispered, bringing him from his trance. "Da. Si. Hai. How many more languages shall I say it in?"

"I heard you," he breathed. "I'm…waiting for the screaming, crying and incredible sex."

"Well, why don't we skip the first two?" she smiled, slipping her arms around his neck again and Kirill groaned in approval as his lips crashed down onto hers, his tongue delving into her mouth to taste her. Lily moaned when she felt all the love and passion he had for her through each kiss and each touch he bestowed on her.

"I love you, Kirill," she whispered when his mouth returned to her neck.

"Ya lyublya tebya, Liliya," (I love you, Liliya) he growled in arousal.

"You should be practicing your Spanish, my love," Lily smirked, starting to thread her fingers through his hair again and making him groan at the sensation of her fingers massaging his scalp.

"Te amo, Liliya," (I love you, Liliya) he replied, making Lily smile before pressing her mouth to his ear.

"I can't decide what I like better," she whispered. "Your Spanish or your Russian."

"Vous devriez entendre plus de mon français," (You should hear more of my French) he retorted, making her moan again.

"Kirill," she breathed, and he froze, hearing her tone and he lifted his head to look at her in worry. "Do you feel better now? I mean, do feel like you've redeemed yourself?"

He gave her a small frown before smiling warmly and lowering his head to let it rest on her forehead.

"Da," he replied. "Thanks to you, Liliya. _My_ Liliya. You redeemed me."

"All I did was pick you up when you fainted in the street," Lily smiled. "Not easily, I might add."

"If _you_ could fall in love with me, I knew I hadn't lost myself forever to the life I had before," he explained.

"I was just along for the ride, my love," she smiled, lifting a hand to stroke his smooth cheek. "_You_ redeemed yourself. Only _you_ could do that."

Kirill smirked and nodded before rolling onto his back and taking her with him as she laughed the whole way. She smiled brightly as her dark hair fell all around his face and she stared down at him for a moment before pressing her lips to his and he deepened the kiss, his hands trailing up her back to hold her close. She broke the kiss and smiled, knowing this was the perfect time to tell him something she'd found out the day before.

"I can't _wait_ until our baby is born."

Kirill's eyes shot wider than she'd ever seen them before as she only smiled widely. He gripped her back, supporting her as he sat up and she straddled him with her arms still around his shoulders.

"Baby?" he breathed. "We're having…a baby?"

Lily nodded hugely, still grinning and he still stared at her in disbelief.

"I know we didn't talk about it much," she said. "But…I've always wanted children and even if this wasn't planned, I still want to keep it."

"Of course," Kirill breathed. "Did you think I would tell you to-?"

"No, of course not!" Lily cut in quickly. "I just…wasn't too sure how you'd react."

Without another word, Kirill planted his lips to hers and through that kiss, reassured her that he was happier than he could have ever been.

"Moĭ Liliya, i moĭ malen΄kiĭ vsegda budet v bezopasnosti. Ya klyanus΄, chto eto." (My Liliya, and my little one will always be safe. I swear it)

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**A/N:** reviews?


	18. Epilogue

_**Epilogue**_

"Papa!" the seven year old girl grinned, running with open arms toward the man in a security guard's stepping through the doorway and tossing his keys onto the table next to it. He looked to her with a warm smile and knelt down to pick her up and sit her on his arm as she threw her tiny arms around his neck and she kissed his cheek before grinning, "Dobro pozhalovat΄ domoĭ, papa!" (Welcome home, papa!)

"Zdravstvuĭte, Alexandra," (Hello, Alexandra) he smiled, heading toward the hall, still holding the little girl. "Vy praktikuyushchiĭ vash ispanskiĭ?" (Are you practicing your Spanish?)

"Si," Alexandra instantly nodded, her sea green eyes glowing with excitement then looked up in thought as he still walked her down the hall before she continued, "Cómo…estuvo tu dia?" (How…was your day?)

"Buena," (Good) he nodded, coming to a door at the end of the hall and stopping. "Y el tuyo?" (And yours?)

"Buena!" she grinned, hugging his neck again and he chuckled when her black hair flipped into his face before she pulled away again and he asked, "Gde tvoy mat΄?" (Where is your mother?)

"My smotreli televizor v svoyeĭ komnate," (We were watching TV in her room) she explained through a whisper when she noticed where he'd stopped. "Ona zasnula." (She fell asleep)

"Li ona?" (Did she?) he smiled in a whisper before turning to head toward the door adjacent to it and opened it, saying, "Malen΄kie devochki dolzhny byt΄ v posteli v eto vremya nochi, sliskom." (Little girls should be in bed this time of night, too)

"No ya ne splyu!" (But I'm not sleepy!) she pouted, making him chuckle again as he entered the room illuminated by a small blue light at the foot of the small bed.

"Lozhis΄ i vy budete," (Lie down and you will be) he assured, shifting her in his arms to sit her on the bed.

"Rasskazhi mne istoriyu, papa!" (Tell me a story, papa!) she grinned, quickly pulling the covers over her and snuggling into her bed.

Kirill smiled down at her as he sat next to her on the bed and he stroked a strand of hair from her face before setting his hand on hers where it sat on the mattress.

"Horosho," (Alright) he sighed in defeat and her grin grew wide as he asked, "Gde zhe my ostavit΄ printsessa i yee rytsar΄?" (Where did we leave the princess and her knight?)

"Oni yehali vo Frantsiyu!" (They were riding into France!) she grinned giddily, making Kirill smile.

He gave a small frown when the hairs on the back of his neck stood up, but he didn't turn, and his frown disappeared when Alexandra glanced behind him but said nothing.

"Riding into Paris, they stopped in a small house owned by a local man," he began, still smiling. "The Knight knew the man who lived there and asked if he and the Princess could stay until they were sure they'd lost the men of the Black King. The man allowed them to stay and once they were settled in the house, the Princess tended to the Knight's wounds from his last battle.

"As the Princess cured him he could not keep his gaze away from her. She was the most beautiful thing he had seen in a _very_ long time, and he wanted to remember everything about her."

Alexandra gave a giggle, making his own smile widen before he continued.

"The Knight told the Princess to rest, but before she could think to close her eyes, the door burst open and a Black Knight charged in!"

Alexandra gasped, her hands flying to her mouth as her eyes shot wide. Kirill lifted his hand and gestured as if sword fighting as he resumed.

"Our Good Knight shot to his feet to protect the Princess from being hurt, his blade flashing as they fought. It wasn't long before the Black Knight's sword went flying through the air but he ran away before our Good Knight could question him.

"He suggested that they leave, but the Princess knew their enemies would expect that, and as we've already learned…"

"The Princess is _always_ right," Alexandra grinned when he trailed off.

"That's right," Kirill nodded. "So, following the advice of the beautiful Princess, he asked the owner of the house if they could stay, and the man replied, 'As long as you like!' So the Princess and her Knight remained in the house while the man worked in the fields, and the two of them became closer and closer with each day. They had peace for one, whole month, until one morning, their peace was shattered…but we'll save that story for tomorrow night."

"Aw!" Alexandra whined, pouting as she crossed her arms over her chest and making Kirill give a chuckle. "Papa! Why do you always _do_ that?"

"Because you would ask me for another story if I finished the first," he replied, leaning forward and pressing a kiss to her forehead. "Little princesses need sleep to grow up strong and beautiful so that they can keep up with their handsome knights when running for their lives."

"Yes, because _all_ princesses end up running for their lives with their handsome knights."

Alexandra giggled as a pair of arms slid around Kirill's neck to rest the hands on his chest, a chin resting on his shoulder. He turned his head to meet a smiling, freckled face with emerald green eyes and brown hair spilling over his shoulder.

"You would know, da, Liliya?" he smirked.

"Da," Lily nodded, kissing his cheek before stepping away to lean over Alexandra and kiss her forehead as well. "And I _also_ know, that little girls need to sleep."

"But I'm not _tired_!" Alexandra pouted before yawning and making Lily chuckle before she stroked her daughter's hair, gently.

"Spokoĭnoi nochi, milaya," (Goodnight, sweetheart) she smiled as she moved away to allow Kirill to stroke his daughter's cheek before he stood as well.

"Spokoĭnoĭ nochi, malyshka," (Goodnight, little one) he murmured as Alexandra closed her eyes and snuggled into her pillow.

"Spokoĭnoĭ nochi," she muttered before finally falling asleep and Kirill stood to tuck the covers over her.

He stood tall and stepped next to Lily so that she could slip her hand into his and lean her head on his shoulder, both watching Alexandra sleep.

"She's so beautiful," Lily whispered.

"Kak i yee mat΄," (Just like her mother) Kirill murmured and Lily chuckled.

"You had a hand in it too, ya know?" she smirked before lifting her head and smiling up at him, then turning to head out the door, still holding his hand.

He allowed her to pull him out the door and into their bedroom where the small television at the foot of the bed flashed bits of illumination into the room.

"How was your day?" she asked, leading him to one end of the bed to allow him to sit as she stood in front of him, between his knees.

"Uneventful, as usual," he sighed, tiredly as his hands rested on her hips, her own hands moving to unbutton his shirt. "Yours?"

"Alexandra's Spanish is getting better," Lily smiled, un-tucking the shirt and pushing it off his shoulders. "I'm glad we decided to home school her. No one can teach her better than you and I."

"And I'm sure you enjoy spending so much time with her," he smirked, helping her take off his shirt before fingering the hem of hers. "As do I, on my days off."

"Speaking of which, when's your next day off?" she asked, slipping her hands around his neck to rest her forearms on his shoulders.

"Tomorrow, actually," he replied, gripping her waist and lifting her up off her feet to allow her to lift her legs and straddle him as he settled her back down to wrap his arms around her, his hands flat on her back. "Why do you ask?"

"Because, I was thinking tomorrow we could all play hooky and go to the beach or something," she smiled, threading her fingers through his thick, dark hair making him groan in contentment as he shut his eyes.

"Eto zvuchit horosho," (That sounds nice) he hummed before opening his eyes and Lily smirked as she recognized the look in his eyes. She laughed as he spun her around and she landed on her back with Kirill on top of her, her legs wrapped around his waist.

Kirill had found redemption.

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**A/N: **Kirill needed a little glimmer of sunshine...aka a kid. thanks to everyone who stuck with this story, you really make my day when you write reviews and i see that you've added my works to faves or alerts. and now, one last time...reviews?


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